


Strangers

by My_Evak_Heart



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Developing Relationship, F/M, Family, Friendship, Growing Up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-09
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-01-27 17:40:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12587156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_Evak_Heart/pseuds/My_Evak_Heart
Summary: After years of living on her own with her two sons, Joyce Byers finally gives another man a chance.Or, Eleven and Hopper moves in with the Byers.





	1. 1983 | TWELVE (October - December)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first Mileven story, please be nice!

**Thursday, October 21st 1983**

  The Wheeler's basement was the boys's headquarters. They would always meet there and play  _Dungeons & Dragons_ after school and on the weekends. Although Lucas's house is more centered for everyone, Mike's basement is move convenient. There, they don't have to deal with Lucas's annoying sister, Erica.  

Mike, Lucas and Dustin were sitting on the floor in front of the couch, the  _Dungeons & Dragons_ board set in front of them. They were waiting for Will Byers, the tardy of the group. He's  _always_  late. 

''Sorry, mom held me back a little,'' Will apologized as he climbed down the stairs of the Wheeler's basement. ''Had to help Hopper and his daughter move all their boxes in.'' 

Today's a big day for the Byers. After years of being a single mom and raising her boys on her own, Joyce Byers finally gave in and decided to give another man a chance. It took her a very long time to see the possibility that, maybe, just maybe, not all men were like her asshole of ex husband. 

''Ohh,'' teased Dustin. ''So, you have a sister now?'' 

''What?! No! Eleven's not my sister...ew, no.'' 

''She lives with you now, right? And, your mom is dating her dad which makes her your sister...in a way,'' Dustin explained but Will shook his head.

''Eleven's  _not_  my sister,'' Will repeated, insisting. 

Lucas raised an eyebrow, not sure if he heard right. ''Eleven?'' 

''Yeah. That's her name.''

Lucas and Dustin shared a look of confusion.  _What?_

''Like, the number eleven?'' Dustin asked, just to be sure.

Will nodded. ''Mom wanted me to bring her here tonight so she could meet some kids her age but, I told her it was a Loser Club exclusive night.''

The reason behind the name of their club is kinda sad. At school, there is this guy named Troy and he and his friends like to pick on the Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Will...a lot. They call them names - 'loser' being one of them - and push them around sometimes too. As time went by, more people started to refer them as the losers of the school. Maybe it was because they loved science a lot or because they were very friendly with their teacher, Mr Clarke. They didn't mind being loser, though. Lots of famous people were loser when they were their age. So, they accepted their fate and decided to become the _Loser Club_. 

''Since when do we have Loser Club exclusive nights?'' asked Lucas. ''Is she that bad? Eleven, I mean.''

''She's...weird.'' The boys raised their eyebrows, waiting for Will to explain himself because classifying her as 'weird' isn't enough of a reason as they are themselves referred as 'weird' from their classmates at school.  ''She doesn't look like a girl. She has no hair and dresses like a boy. I was very confused at first but, she's really a girl.'' 

Mike frowned.  _No hair? Does she has cancer or something?_

Before any of the boys could ask more questions, Will took the cardboard box and flipped it over, dropping all the pieces of the game on the floor next to the board. ''Shall we play now? Mom wants me to come home before eight.''

They all nodded and left the subject for the rest for the night.

 .

After that night, Will didn't talk about Eleven again. It was like she was a forbidden subject. It was strange. She didn't seem to be attending Hawkins Middle School either which was even more strange given she was their age.

Well, that's what Will said.

.

**Wednesday, October 26th 1983**

  Hawkins's Middle School's science fair is the only school event the Loser Club are interested in. It's perfect for science hungry kids like them. Last year, their project was about how metal and electricity can create a magnet. It was a cool idea, in their opinion but, the judges preferred some older kids's dumb shoe box projector. It's an easy project. All you need is a shoe box, a magnifying glass and a flipped picture. Even Erica, Lucas's little sister, can do it.

''The inscriptions for the science fair are next week. We need to start thinking about our project we're going to present this year,'' Will said as they sat in the old radio room during lunch. They used to eat in the cafeteria with all the other kids but once, someone dropped their milk on Will's head and...yeah, not again. The boy had to walk around with a smelly sweater and soaked hair from trying to wash away the milk in the school's bathroom. 

Dustin gasped, raising his hand before sharing his idea. ''We could do a vo-''

''No happening!'' interrupted Mike, knowing what the boy was going to say. They won't do another stupid volcano. ''Everyone makes volcano during science fairs and, guess what, they _never_  win.''

The curly haired raised his hands in surrender. ''It was just an idea...''

.

**Saturday, October 29th**

  On Saturday, Mike showed up at the Byers house. He and Will had made plans the day before as they were riding their bike on the way back from school. Will had told him about this cool tape playlist Jonathan gave him on Wednesday and that he _had_  to listen it. Or, maybe it was just a bad excuse to have his number one best friend over.

Mike parked his bike in front of the porch and walked to the door, knocking twice. The door opened after a few seconds but, it wasn't Will who opened the door. ''Hi, Mike. Erm, Will isn't there at the moment. He left with Jonathan to get milk,'' Joyce Byers, Will's mom, informed him. ''Come in and sit. They shouldn't be gone long.''

He did as told and stepped inside the house, kicking out his shoes and going to sit on the couch but, the latter was already occupied by a brunette girl around his age. She must be Will's new sister. Her hair were buzz cut - just like Will had said - and she was wearing light wash jeans and a gray and red tee shirt. Mike sat next to her and she jumped a little, surprised by the sudden presence. 

''Eleven, right?'' 

The girl gave him a shy smile. ''Yes.'' 

''I'm Mike. Short for Michael.''

''How do you know my name?'' Eleven asked. 

''Will. He told me about you.'' 

''He did?'' she asked, a surprised frown on her forehead. 

Mike nodded. ''Yeah. What are you watching?'' He nodded at the television in front of them where a black and white show Mike couldn't recognize was playing. 

She shrugged. ''Don't know.''

There was a moment of silence where the two kids watched the TV. Every few seconds, Mike would find himself looking at the brunette girl while her eyes were glued on the TV screen, watching the woman rant about her possible love for this rich businessman. Other than to blink, she didn't move.

Contrarily to her, the dark haired boy found the show quite uninteresting. Mike prefers where there is action and sci-fi themes, romance and feelings is more his sister Nancy's thing. ''I heard you came all the way here from Williamsport, don't you miss your friends from your old school?'' 

Eleven's attention drifted from the screen, now facing the boy. She looked down and shook her head before answering Mike's question. ''No,'' she replied. ''I don't have friends.'' 

For a second, Mike thought she was joking but, the sad look on her face told him she was not. ''We can be friends,'' Mike offered with a smile.

It was his first time meeting Eleven and he didn't know anything about her except that she was his friend's sister but, he had this feeling inside that Eleven and him could become good friends. Once he break trough her shy shell, she must be really cool and awesome.

''But, you already have friends. You have Will and Lucas and Dustin.''

''You can be my friend too.'' 

''Yeah?'' she said with hope in her voice.

''Yeah,'' Mike confirmed and Eleven's lips turned into a full smile.

From the kitchen, Joyce watched the two kids interacting and tried to not tear up. This is the first time since she met Eleven that she sees a real, genuine smile on her face. At first, she thought she was upset about the moving and changing town and that it was her way to show Hopper that she was mad. It wasn't. She just hadn't found someone to warm up to.

.

Will arrived home shortly after and the two boys went to his room. Mike saw the sad pout on Eleven's face when Will pulled him from the couch and toward the hallway and felt bad for leaving her. He told her he was her friend and now he's leaving to go with Will. She must feel rejected.

''What were you doing with her?'' Will asked, scrunching his nose a little as he picked up the cassette tape his brother gave him.

''Eleven? She's cool.'' 

Will eyed him. ''She's not. All she does is watch TV and eat Eggos. And, by watching the TV, I mean turning the channels. She can do this all day long. It's weird.''

''Have you tried talking to her?'' 

''No.''

''You should.'' 

''Maybe. But, first, music!'' Will declared, pressing play on the radio, the first chords of electric guitar resonating in the small room. A grin on his lip, Will started bobbing his head to the beat, the lyrics passing his lips. '' _Darling you got to let me know. Should I stay or should I go? If you say that you are mine. I'll be here 'til the end of time-_ ''

.

''So, there's this special event at the school field tonight. We're watching Halloween movies on a big screen with popcorn and stuff. It's for raising money for the Christmas ball this December. Barb's driving,'' Nancy said between two small bites of meatloaf. It was the least appreciated meal at the Wheeler's but, despite everyone's distaste for meatloaf, Mrs Wheeler continue cooking the dreaded meatloaf every two weeks for dinner.

''Why am I hearing about that now?'' 

''I thought you knew.'' 

''I don't attend your school, Nancy. I can't know about every single events they're having,'' Karen replied, cutting a piece of meatloaf in her plate. 

''So, can I go?'' the older of the Wheeler siblings pushed. Karen hesitated, chewing her dinner. ''We won't come back too late,'' Nancy promised. ''We'll just stay for two movies. Then, we'll go to Barb's and study for the rest of the night...and tomorrow too. We have a test on Monday.''

''Oh, so, it's a sleepover?'' 

''Yeah..? Yeah,''  Nancy confirmed, taking a sip of her water.

Mike wanted to roll his eyes at his sister's story.

It's  _bullshit_.

Hawkins High School doesn't have a Horror movie screening on the football field tonight. He would've known if it was the case, their school are literally in front of each other. And, people talk, you know. There's a word going around that Nancy and Steve Harrington have been seen together at school.  _Kissing_. He must be her new boyfriend or something. Not that Mike care about his sister's love-life. It's the only possible reason why she lied about the horror movie screening. She's going to meet with Steeve.

During the rest of dinner, Mike raised his eyebrows at her knowingly and she gave him a confused look. 

.

**Monday, October 31st 1983**

  Halloween is Mike's favorite holiday - beside Christmas, of course. He loves to dress up as his favorite characters and go treat or treating with his best friends. This year, they all decided to wear matching costumes.  _Ghostbusters_. They had planned their costumes months in advance and even had their parents sew their suits from scratch because there wasn't any  _Ghostbusters_  costumes in stores. Dustin was going to be Stantz, Will was Spengler, Mike was Venkman and Lucas was Winston.

That was the plan but, something  _had_  to go wrong and although it was just a small misunderstanding, it ruined  _everything_  according to Mike. 

''What is  _this_ ,'' Mike exclaimed when he saw the name tag on Lucas's suit.  _Venkman_. ''Why are you Venkman?''

''Because I'm Venkman.''

''No, I'm Venkman. There can't be two Venkman. We'll look like idiots.''

''You were Winston.''

''I never agreed to be Winston.''

''Yes you did!'' Mike retorted.

''I don't think he did,'' Will butted in, looking at Lucas then Mike.

''No one wants to be Winston, man.''

''What's wrong with Winston?'' asked Mike.

''What's wrong with Winston?'' Lucas repeated, shocked. ''He came into the team super late. And he's not even a scientist.''

''Yeah but, he's so cool.''

Lucas raised an eyebrow. ''If he's cool, then you be Winston.''

''What? No! We planned this months ago, Lucas. Months! I can't be Winston because-'' Mike stopped himself, thinking that maybe he shouldn't say it. Maybe it will offend Lucas.

''Because you're not black. Say it, Mike,'' finished Lucas. ''Say it!''

''Guys!'' Will said, stepping between the two before things could get too heated. 

.

Everyone had agreed to meet in front of Mike's house before going trick or treating. It's going to be the first year no one is accompanying them. Lucas had to argue with his mother so he could go with the boys and not his little sister. He's twelve years old, what twelve years old wants to go trick or treating with their height years old sister? Last year, Jonathan had to tag along and the teenager wasn't very happy. 

Dustin and Lucas were already outside, waiting on the sidewalk with Mike, empty pillowcases in hand to put their candies in. Lucas had brought his wrist rocket, in case they were harassed with older kids and the two other boys didn't miss the opportunity to make fun of him.

''You're not going to scare anyone away with your rocket thrower, Lucas,'' Mike teased.

Lucas knitted his eyebrows. ''It's a  _wrist rocket_ , you dumb shit,'' he defended, trying to sound serious.

Mike snickered, not offended by his friend's words. 

Jonathan's car pulled up on the curb of Mike's street and Will got out, an empty pillowcase in his left hand. He happily waved at the boys on the other side of the street before closing the car door and crossing the street. As he got closer, the boys started to notice that their friend wasn't alone.

''Who's this?'' Lucas asked, nodding at the blonde girl standing behind Will. 

''This is-'' Will started but Mike beat him.

'' _Eleven_.'' 

Despite her blonde wig, Mike recognized her immediately. He wasn't able to guess what her costume was but, he knew she looked pret-  _pretty_   _good_  in that pink and white baby-doll style dress.

The girl's lips turned up when she spotter her one and only friend. ''Mike.'' 

Dustin and Lucas shared a confused look, looking at each other before turning to Mike. ''Erm, you know each other?''

''Yeah. We're  _friends_.''

.

They were at their fifteenth house of the night and this one looked scarier than the others. There was smoke and creepy lights coming from the garage and you couldn't see very well. You could hear the screams of the kids as they entered the garage, each one more piercing than the previous. 

''I'm not going,'' declared Dustin, planting his feet in front of the house. ''Nope.'' 

''Pussy,'' Lucas snickered, stepping in front of him. ''I'm going. And, if I don't come back...please, tell my mom I love her.'' 

Mike rolled his eyes at his dramatic friend. 

Will didn't want to go either, claiming the garage was too small and that it would make him claustrophobic. 

''You coming, El?'' Mike asked. He was a little scared but not enough to not go inside the garage. It wasn't  _that_  scary.

The girl hesitated, biting her bottom lip. ''I...''

''You don't have to go if you don't want to,'' Mike added. ''You can stay here with Will and Dustin.'' 

Eleven stepped forward, giving Mike a small smile. 

The three kids were walking toward the garage when a group of people ran behind them, on of them bumping Mike's shoulder a little too hard as they walked past them and making him fall on the ground. Eleven gasped as Mike fell on his front, his chin hitting the asphalt and scrapping his skin. ''Watch where you're going, Frog-face,'' the guy said, laughing with his two friends as the walked away. 

Lucas yelled something at them but the three boys continued laughing, ignoring him completely. 

The second Mike fell, Eleven was by his side, crouched on the ground next to him. ''Mike,'' she said in a worried tone.

Mike got up and wiped his chin with his sleeve, staining it with blood.  _Shit_. His mom is going to be so mad if he ruin his costume. It was pretty expensive to make.

''Are you okay?'' Lucas asked, turning to his injured friend.

Mike nodded. ''Yeah. I'm fine.''

The freckled boy was about to follow Lucas but Eleven stopped him. ''Who was that?'' she asked, confused about what just happened. 

''It's just that mouth-breather Troy,'' Mike explained, looking down, a little ashamed.

Eleven frowned. ''Mouth-breather? What's a mouth-breather?'' 

''Yeah. You know. A dumb person. A knucklehead.''

''Knucklehead?'' 

Mike explained the Troy situation to Eleven, baring her from the dirty details like that one time Troy tripped him into a muddy puddle and he ended up swallowing some dirt. Lucky for him, Lucas arrived and Troy left go of his neck. He never told anyone that one. It's embarrassing. The girl felt sorry for her friend. He's stuck in this situation and there's nothing he can do about it. 

''Can you two stop chatting? If we wait too long all the good candies will be gone. I don't want to go there for nothing,'' complained Lucas, a few meters in front of them, almost at the garage's entry. 

 .

** Tuesday, November 1st 1983 **

  Waking up on Tuesday wasn't easy. Mike had stayed up very late last night, counting all his candies - and eating some. He and his friend have this contest every years where they count all their candies and the one who has less has to give half to the winner. It dumb and doesn't make sens but, yeah. And to make sure no one is lying, they count them together after school the next day. This year though, Mike was determined to not loose so he counted them the night before and ate/hide some in his room so he would have less. It's cheating but he already knows Lucas does the same thing, thanks to his little sister for the info.

After getting dressed and grumpily descending the stairs, Mike sat beside Nancy and waited for his mom to place Eggos in his plate.

''Thanks, mom,'' he said before taking a big bite of his Eggos. 

''Did you have fun last night?'' Karen asked Mike, finishing preparing her morning coffee.

Mike nodded. ''Yeah. Lucas, Eleven and I went to a haunted garage.''

His mom gave him a questioning look, joining her two children at the kitchen table. ''Eleven? Is this a new gaming code or something?''

''No. It's Will's new sister.'' 

Karen nodded. He didn't need to say more. The arrival of Jim Hopper in the Byers's house was a worldwide known event in Hawkins, everyone knew the details. Mike didn't need to drag longer about the Eleven situation although he really wanted to. He'll keep that part for himself, though.

''How was your test, Nancy?'' 

Nancy lifted her head from her plate at her mother's question. ''Erm...fine. Easy peasy.'' 

''What is your test on again?  _Human anatomy_?'' Mike asked, his mouth full. 

Nancy glared at him and kicked him under the table with her foot. Mike kicked her back.

 .

''You owe me five,'' Mike said when they were in front of the schools, about to go to their respective buildings.

Nancy stopped right before crossing the road, turning around. ''What?'' 

''Or...I'm telling mom and dad you weren't at Barbara's but at a  _Steve_ 's house. And that the screening was pure bullshit.'' For the second time that morning, Nancy sent a death glare at her little brother. He might be twelve years old but he's a real money stealer and blackmail king. ''Mom wouldn't like it,'' he reminded her.

For a few seconds, she debater whether or not it was worth the five dollars. Did Mike have proof she didn't go to Barbara's but at Steve's? She decided to not take a chance, giving in to the freckled boy's blackmail. ''Ugh, fine.'' 

.

**Saturday, November 5th 1983**

  After Halloween night, Eleven was more than welcomed to join the boys at Mike's house. They tried to teach her how to play  _Dungeons & Dragons_ but she couldn't really get the hang of it. There was so many rules and it looked very complicated. Instead, she sat on a chair and watched them play. 

''Mike! Your friends are here,'' Karen called from upstairs. 

 _Friends_? Mike was confused at his mom's use of plural. Dustin and Lucas are already there...

The basement door opened and Will came into the view, descending the stairs. ''Mom had to leave the house and didn't want to leave Eleven alone at home, so...'' 

Eleven's here? Mike spun around to face the stairs, his eyes catching hers as she descended behind Will, looking a bit shy. She was wearing denim overalls with a plaid flannel over it, the hem of her overall a bit too long so it had to be rolled up.

''Hi.'' 

Dustin and Lucas waved at her, frowning when they noticed the lack of hair on top of her head. She had blonde hair on Halloween so they assumes it was her real hair but, nope, it was a wig. It's not often they see a kid their age with a shaved head so they were both pretty shocked and confused.

''I hope you guys don't mind that I'm here,'' she apologized.

''No, no,'' Mike assured. ''It's okay. There can be five players.''

Eleven smiled at him and they all went to sit down around the small table where the game board was set. Will and Mike were setting up the game while Dustin and Lucas kept fixing Eleven in a creepy way. Not knowing what to do, she played with her hands on her lap, hoping they'll look away sometime soon. 

''Where's your hair? Do you have cancer?'' Dustin suddenly asked, stating the oblivious.

Mike stopped what he was doing and elbowed his friend. ''Dustin! That's rude.'' He was surprised Dustin was the one to ask about Eleven's lack of hair when he hates when someone mention his missing teeth.

The curly haired boy looked down. ''Sorry... Do you know how to play?'' He nodded at the  _Dungeons & Dragons_ game board.

Eleven shook her head. ''No.'' 

Shocked, Dustin's jaw dropped. ''Oh my god, are you joking?  _Dungeons & Dragons_ is  _the_  best game ever,'' he gushed, sounding like he was trying to sell his a product. ''Guys, we have to show her what she's missing!''

.

''What is a campaign again?''

After over twenty minutes trying to explain how to play  _Dungeons & Dragons_ to Eleven, she still couldn't understand. Lucas had already given up and Will wanted to bang his head on the table. There was too many rules and new therms. She couldn't get the hang of if. And the boys were talking so fast, how did they expect her to understand? Dustin's lisp wasn't helping either but, she didn't want to be rude and say she had difficulty catching what he was saying. 

''I'm done,'' Will declared with a sigh. ''Can we play without her? It doesn't look like she's going to understand the game anytime soon.''

Mike gave Will a look, not liking the way he's talking about Eleven. He's always taking down about her and acting like she's stupid when she isn't. Not everyone understand games so easily.  _Dungeons & Dragons_ is a complicated game. Even Mike didn't understand how to play the first time. It took him weeks to fully understand. ''No. We're getting there. Right, El?'' 

Biting down her bottom lip, Eleven looked very unsure. Why should she force the boys to continue explaining D&D when all the boys - except Mike - looks sick of explaining the damn game over and over? She came here uninvited and now she's ruining their gaming afternoon; she felt bad for breaking the boys's plans. ''I'm fine watching,'' she said.

Mike gave her a look as if to ask ' _You sure?_ ' and she gave him a small smile.

.

After playing D&D for over four hours straight, Dustin's mom phoned the Wheeler's to tell her son to come home. They all whined and tried to negotiate twenty more minutes but Mrs Henderson wasn't having it. With a sigh, Dusting got up, waved goodbye at the boys - and Eleven - and put on his jacket, ready to leave. Now that Dustin had left, there was no point continuing their game so they all got dressed and headed outside. It was starting to get dark but that's what the small light on their bikes is for, right? 

They all climbed on the bikes and were about to speed off when they noticed Eleven was still standing in the middle of the Wheeler's driveway. ''You don't have a bike?'' Lucas asked.

''No.'' 

A flash of Nancy's old bike hooked in the garage passed trough Mike's head. Nancy barely used this bike when she was their age and it should be the right size for Eleven. Mike opened his mouth to suggest Nancy's bike but then remembered how pissed his dad was the last time he set foot inside the garage, claiming he had disrupted his organized mess. 

Not again.

Instead, he scooted forward, making room on the back of his bike. ''Get on.'' Eleven eyes the bike, looking very unsure. ''It's safe. I've given Will plenty rides when he broke his bike.''

Eleven glanced at Will who nodded, confirming his friend's story.

She bit down her lip, her feet leading her to Mike's bike, climbing on the back. It was very unstable and scary but she said nothing.  _It's gonna be okay_ , she told herself. Mike isn't gonna make them fall on purpose, right? 

They were about to leave the driveway when Lucas brought up an old story. ''Wasn't it when you almost crashed into a tree and Will sprained his ankle?'' 

''It wasn't my fault!'' Mike defended, glaring at Lucas for bringing this old story up. ''There was a crack on the pavement and-'' 

Eleven tensed behind Mike. Maybe she was right. Maybe getting behind Mike's bike isn't very safe. Maybe she should-

Her thoughts were cut short when, without warning, Mike started pedaling. She jumped, gripping onto Mike's jacket and shoulder, scared she was going to fall. ''Hold on,'' he told her over his shoulder and Eleven tightened her grip on Mike, moving her hands from his shoulder to his middle.

The woods were only ten minutes away from Mike's house and although everyone is creeped out by these woods, it doesn't stop them from going. If you dig, you can find very cool spots in the woods like this one time they found an old, abandoned camping spot with a camping-car and a few old, beat up cars. They played hide and seek for hours. It has now been demolished by drunk teenagers and it's not as fun as it used to be. There's a ton of smashed beer bottles and empty cans on the spot. 

The boys slowed down as they rode trough the trees, not feeling like ending blind because a tree branch poked them in the eye during a late night bike ride. How stupid would that sound? 

They stopped when they reached the creek, parking their bikes by some big tree. ''Let's play hide and seek.'' 

Mike gave Will a 'wtf' look. ''How do you expect us to find each other in the dark in the middle of the woods?'' 

''Come on, it's not that dark,'' added Lucas.

''And, we come here practically everyday. We can't get lost, Mike.''

''It's a shame Dustin's not here to play,'' Lucas remarked, making the boys laugh.

''What's funny?'' Eleven asked.

''Dustin's not that great at that game,'' Mike explained. 

Lucas cleared his throat, ''Correction: he sucks!'' 

Will was the first one to count. He stood in front of a tree, hands covering his eyes and counted to fifty, giving his friends enough time to hide. Playing hide and seek in the woods isn't like playing in a house. Good hiding spots are more difficult to find. 

''...fifty! Ready or not, I'm coming!'' Will declared, uncovering his eyes. 

He found Mike first. The poor boy sold himself when Will passed by and he sneezed. Fucking allergies. 

Unlike Dustin, Lucas was good at this game. Like, very good. Once, he covered himself with dead leaves and branches and hid underneath them, founding himself with the decor. It took the boys an hour to find him and even then, they didn't quite find him. Lucas saw them approaching and screamed, revealing himself from his camouflage, scaring Will, Mike and Dustin. The look on their faces was priceless. 

Mike and Will walked trough the woods, checking behind the bigger trees, small bushes, old and empty tree trunks. Lucas and Eleven were nowhere to be found. Mike nodded at Will, deciding to search somewhere else because they probably weren't hiding in that area when the sound of crunching leaves had them turn around, catching a wild Lucas trying to escape.

''Found you, Lucas!'' said Will, pointing at their friend. 

Lucas grunted. ''Son of a bitch!'' 

The boys laughed at Lucas's sore looser reaction. ''Looks like you've lost your hide and seek king status to a girl, Lucas,'' teased Mike, earning a glare from Lucas. ''El, you won. You can come out now,'' Mike called, using his hands to make his voice louder. ''El?'' Still no reply. ''Erm, guys, where's El?''

. 

The search party for Eleven Hopper had started. Will, Mike and Lucas were all looking for her, calling her names over and over as they walked trough the woods. She can't be that far. 

''Eleven!''

''Eleven, where are you?''

''El!

The sky had gone darker and darker which made it difficult to see trough the thick woods but the boys were determined to find her. They  _had_  to.

''Hopper is never going to forgive me if something happens to Eleven.'' 

''Don't think so negatively, we'll find her, Will,'' encouraged Lucas, putting a hand on Will's shoulder. 

Mike nodded, giving his friend a reassuring smile. ''We'll find her,'' Will repeated, trying to convince himself. ''We're gonna find her.'' 

And, it started raining.  _Perfect_.

''I think we should split. We'll cover more surface this way,'' Mike suggested, knowing it would increase the risk of getting lost too but, right now, all that matters is to find Eleven. Contrarily to the boys, she doesn't know these woods. The soil is gonna get very slippery with this rain and something could happen to her. She could fall over a tree roots and tumble or slip and end up in the river- Let's  _not_  think about that. ''Let's meet at the creek in fifteen minutes.''

Will and Lucas reluctantly nodded, agreeing to Mike's plan. If Hopper gets home and his daughter is not there, Will will never heard the end of it.

Mike went right, Lucas left and Will went back to the creek, in case she went back. 

.

After ten minutes of searching, Mike found her. 

Thank god.

He saw a small figure sitting by an old tree trunk. It was difficult to see but he managed to make out her dark green jacket. Her knees were pulled to her stomach as the cold November rain hit her shivering body. Mike sighed in relief before running over to Eleven, crouching in front of her. ''El?'' She looked up at mike's voice, her lashed all wet, but didn't respond. Instead, she started crying.  _Oh no_. An alarm went off in Mike's head. He never had to deal with a crying girl before.

 _What do I do?!_  

The tears stopped and she mumbled his name, in a small, broken yet relieved voice, ''Mike.'' Her eyes were still watery but she wasn't crying anymore.

''Everything okay?'' Mike asked, his wet hair falling into his eyes, strands grouping into curls.

She nodded slowly. ''Promise.'' 

Mike wasn't sure she was being honest but, he wasn't going to push her.  If she was hurt, she's tell him, right?

He helped her up and they joined Will and Lucas who were waiting by the creek. 

She ran, she told Mike as they walked back to where they left the bikes. ''I was waking and walking, trying to find a good hiding spot,'' she started. ''I couldn't find one so I continued walking but then, I noticed how dark the sky had gotten. When I turned around and didn't see you guys, I started to panic and got scared so I ran, calling for you but...you weren't responding. I got lost. I was so scared, Mike. I-I thought, I thought I'd never-''

Mike stopped walking and turned to Eleven who looked like she was about to cry again. She look genuinely scared, frightened even. For the second time in the span of five minutes, Mike found himself in a situation he did not now how to deal with. The only crying person he's had to deal with is his baby sister, Holly. He'd give her her favorite plushie or her pacifier and she'd stop crying. 

Except, Eleven is not his baby sister, Holly. She's a twelve years old, she doesn't need a pacifier or a stupid plushie. 

Without thinking, the boy laced their hands together. ''Here, you won't get lost again,'' Mike promised, talking about their joined hands. 

Eleven looked down at their hands, her's a bit smaller and colder than Mike's. ''Promise?'' 

Mike squeezed her hand. ''Promise.'' 

.

** Wednesday, November 9th 1983 **

  Laying on his bed, Mike threw and spun his old dinosaur toy, Rory, in the air for the tenth time in a row. He almost went to the basement to watch a Star Wars film when he remembered his parents had moved the television upstairs because the one in the living room was broken. He could watch it in the living room but, Holly is there, playing with her toys and she makes a  _lot_  of noise. So...movies are a no.

With a sigh, Mike picked up his walkie-talkie radio and tried to reach Will. He knew the signal was pretty weak from his house to Will's but, he's the only one he can call tonight since Lucas is at his clarinet lessons and Dustin had to accompany his mom to her book club meeting. 

''Will? It's mike. Will, are you there?'' Mike released the button, waiting for an answer. 

'' _Will is not here_ ,'' someone replied. 

''Oh.'' Mike frowned, recognizing the voice. ''El?''

'' _Yes_.'' 

''Do you know when he'll come back?''

'' _No_.''

''Okay...'' There was a silence, a moment of hesitation before Mike pressed the talking button. ''Erm, El?''

'' _Yes_.'' 

Suddenly, Mike felt nervous which had him very confused. Why is he feeling like this? He pushed the feeling away and asked the question that was burning on his tongue. ''Do you...do you think you can come over?''

'' _To your house?_ '' she asked, sounding very surprised.

Mike nodded, then realized she couldn't see him. ''Yeah.'' 

'' _I can ask_.'' There was a scratching noise followed by silence. '' _Mrs Byers said she'd take me_.'' 

''Awesome! I mean...cool. See you soon, then.'' 

'' _Bye, Mike_.'' 

.

**Sunday, November 12th 1983**

  Breakfast talks are always interesting at the Wheeler's. Just like dinners, they are filled with entertaining conversations and countless bickering between family members. Sometimes it's Holly who refuses to eat her food, others it's Nancy having a difficult time trying to explain teenage life to her parents but, most of the time, it's between Nancy and Mike.

They never miss a day.

Karen had cooked a plateful of eggs and toasts for breakfast this morning, feeling like preparing a brunch for her family. It was time consuming to prepare all this food but, it was worth it. They hadn't eaten breakfast all together since the summer vacations. With Ted's new job at the local factory, he's always gone before the kids gets up so, most of the time, it's just her and the kids.

''How's school going, Mike? Are you still participating to the science fair this year?'' Karen asked, trying to catch up with her kids's lives, contrarily to her husband who seemed very occupied by his news paper.

Mike nodded at his mom's question. ''Yeah. Lucas and I got a really good idea for this year's project.''

Although she doesn't understand anything about science, Karen is proud of her boy. It's rare for a boy his age to be so passionate about science - other than Dustin, Lucas and Will.

''That's good, Honey. Your dad and I will be there, like always,'' she promised. ''Right, Ted?'' The latter hummed, not looking over his news paper. Karen sighed, wishing her husband would at least try show interest in his kids once in a while. '' _I_ 'll be there.'' Taking a sip of her coffee, she turned to her daughter. ''I saw Claudia Harrington yesterday when grocery shopping. She said she saw you were at their house last week with her oldest son. Since where are you friends with the Harrington's son?''

She must be talking about Steve. No, no,  _no_. Red lights flashed inside Nancy's head. 

''Mike's got a girlfriend,'' she blurted.

Karen looked away from her daughter, turning to Mike, surprised. Even Ted looked up from his news paper to glance at his son, equally surprised. It's the first time they hear about their son's love life and neither of them though Mike would be interested by girls at such a young age. They though that because he was so into science and nerdy stuff that he wasn't looking at girls but...looks they were wrong. 

Mike scrunched his face in disgust. ''What? Ew. No. Gross.'' 

''Her name's Eleven. Mike invited her the other day,'' Nancy continued, giving their parents more informations and mentally clapping herself on the back.

Mike turned and glared at her but Nancy smirked.  _Payback's a bitch, little brother_.

.

** Friday, November 18th 1983 **

  Have you ever imagined how would a the world be without Troy Harrington? It sure would be a better world. The member of the Loser Club wouldn't have to walk down the halls with the constant fear of bumping into him or come home with a new scratch or bruise. They wouldn't get called out by him. Those new nicknames he gave them were pretty offensive if you ask Lucas. 

The last bell had just rang and everyone was about to head home for the weekend when Will heard a familiar, unpleasing laugh behind them. Mike, Lucas and Will turned around, facing Troy and his gang. It was tempting to run but Troy and James are older, therefore faster than them. They would end up catching them.

''Step right up ladies and gentlemen. Step right up and get your tickets for the Freak Show!'' Troy said, catching a few people's attention. ''Who do you think would make more money in a freak show? Midnight? Fairy-boy? Or, Frog-face?'' he questioned, calling them by their personalized nicknames and hitting their chest with his fist between each. ''Where's Toothless today?'' 

Dustin was absent today. Lucky boy. His mom took him to an eye appointment after he caught him squinting the other night while reading. 

Troy and James left, leaving the group alone and going to their bus but Troy turned mid-way, a smirk on his lips. ''Oh, Mike. Saw your sister around the other night, tell her she looks great in her new bra but...it'd look better on the floor.'' 

Nancy might be a pain in the ass sometimes and very pretentious but, she's his  _sister_ and Mike won't let anyone talk about his sister like she's some slut. 

''Shut up.''

''My brother told me all the details about their sexy night together. Made sure to tell me all the interesting details of-''

''I said shut up!'' Filled with anger, Mike shoved Troy but the latter almost didn't budge. He only move a few steps. Troy glared at him, giving him a warning look that said 'you're gonna regret this, Wheeler' before he shoved him back, harder. A  _lot_  harder.  

A toad was heard as Mike's body the brick wall. He breath was cut for a few seconds from the impact. 

.

After school, Eleven came over and they built a blanket fort with tons of cushions and stuff. It wasn't the best fort he built but it had its charm. This time, Mike even brought a small flashlight so they wouldn't have to sit in the dark. 

Eleven's stomach growled after they finished the fort. She blushed and tried to cover it with a cough but Mike heard it and went upstairs to get snacks. Mike almost snuck some of his mom's fresh baked cookies from the kitchen but, he remembered Eleven telling him her favorite food was Eggos...so he took that instead. 

''How are the Eggos?'' he asked, putting the sheet down so they were almost in the dark. ''Sorry if they are a bit burned, I had to watch out for my mom. She hates when I eat before dinner.'' 

Munching on an Eggo, Eleven smiled. ''Good.'' 

They talked and told each other stories while eating way too much Eggos. 

''I don't believe you.''

''I'm not making anything up,'' Mike told her. ''You can ask Will if you don't believe me. He was there when Lucas dove into the big trash bin behind the school.''

Eleven scrunched her nose in disgust. ''Ew. This is gross.''

Mike shrugged, laughing. ''What about you, what's the most disgusting thing you've done?'' 

''I don't know...I think I've once spent four days without taking a bath.''

''I got the flu last year and had to be hospitalized and I didn't bath for a whole  _week_. When I got home, I went straight for the bath,'' Mike laughed, remembering how satisfying it was to soak in a warm bath that day.

As they got out of their little blanket fort, Eleven almost tripped. She put her hand on his shoulder for support and Mike winced. She frowned. ''You're hurt?''

''No!'' Mike denied but Eleven gave him a look, knowing he was lying. ''It's nothing...'' he trailed with a sigh. 

''You winced. It's not nothing.'' Mike looked down. ''Is it that mouth-breather Troy again?''

Mike nodded. ''Yeah.''  

.

**Saturday, November 26th 1983**

  According to Mike Wheeler, weekends are for sleeping in and playing ten hours of  _Dungeons & Dragons_ in a row, not waking up at eight to go to school. Yes,  _school_.

Today's Hawkins Middle School's annual science fair and Mr. Clarke wants everyone to be at school for eight-thirty even though the actual event doesn't start until ten o'clock. It doesn't sound so bad but, for someone who doesn't leave his bed before ten o'clock on the weekend, this is  _torture_. Last year, Mike woke up late for the event and the boys had to set up the whole booth without him. This year, Lucas made a promise to himself that it won't happen again and took the matter in his own hands.  

'' _-school_.'' 

'' _Mike!_ ''

'' _Wake up you lazy-ass!_ '' the annoying radio voice of Lucas said, stirring Mike from his sleep. '' _Mike!_ ''

Mike opened his eyes, rubbing them to wash away the sleep. Light was peaking trough the curtains in Mike's bedroom, creating a dim light, making the latter squint at the semi-brightness. 

_It better be at least eight o'clock or I'll make sure to kill you when I see you at school Lucas Sinclair._

With a groan, Mike sat up on his bed and picked up his watch from his bedside table to check the time.  _Seven-twenty_. 

Annoyed, Mike grabbed his walkie-talkie and pressed the talking button. ''We said eight, Lucas. Eight!'' Mike said in the walkie-talkie, trying to sound mad but the sleepiness of his voice winning over. 

''Oops...sorry. Well, you're up now so...'' 

.

Downstairs, Karen was getting ready to leave, car keys in her hand while Mike was upstairs, fiddling with his backpack, trying to not break their science fair's project as he did the zippers. It was a tight fit with all the other crap he didn't bother taking out. 

Mike was about to head out when his radio made a scratching noise, meaning someone was trying to reach him. 

'' _Mike?_ '' someone said, sounding like a whisper.

''Who's this?'' Mike demanded, not quite recognizing the voice.

'' _It's me. It's Eleven._ ''

Mike found himself smiling, it's rare she calls him on the radio. She must've took it from Will.

''Hey, erm hi. Listen, El, I'm kinda in a hurry. I need to leave for scho-''

'' _I wanted to say good luck for today. For the science fair._ ''

Mike doesn't remember telling her about the science fair. She must've heard Will talk about it at home.

''Mike! I'm leaving now,'' he heard his mom call from downstairs.

''Oh. Well...thanks? That's-''

''Michael!'' 

Mike turned around and screamed, ''Coming!'' 

''I have to go,'' Mike explained, returning to his normal talking voice. ''Maybe...maybe we can hang out later? I'll call you, okay?''

'' _Bye, Mike_.'' 

.

It's only when they finished setting their table that they noticed they were missing something: a poster. Being the best with arts and crafts, Will volunteered to make one...in ten minutes. How could they have forgot to make a poster? 

''What color do you guy think I should do the letters on the poster?'' Will asked, holding two crayons. A dark blue and a bright green. 

''I think you should do Navy,'' Lucas replied. 

''It's indigo, not navy'' corrected Dustin. ''Navy is like Mike's jacket.''

Lucas leaned forward on his chair to look at Dustin who was sitting next to Mike. ''It doesn't matter.'' 

Mike shook his head; he's so  _done_  with these two.

''He asked,'' Dustin replied.

''He asked,'' Lucas mocked.  

.

Of course, the only time Mike left to go to the bathroom was when Will's mother decided to show up with her new boyfriend.

When Mike came back, Joyce and Hopper were talking with Will, the latter trying to trick Hopper into trying their homemade electric shocker. Lucas was sitting behind the table, cackling at Hopper's reaction when he touched the top of the device, getting an electric shock. 

''Where's Dustin?'' Mike asked, cutting the fun. ''We said we could only leave the booth one at a time,'' he reminded Lucas, not seeing their curly haired friend.

Lucas shrugged, not seeing the big deal or why Mike was so angry. ''I think he went to the ice cream booth. He's trying to get a taste of the chocolate flavor since we got here, remember?''

Mike closed his eyes, trying to keep his calm. ''What if someone try to steal our electric shocker? Or break it! Mr. Clarke was hesitant to let us open our booth this morning because the principal said our project was 'dangerous', imagine how we'd get in trouble if-'' He was about to go on and continue addressing the issue and the consequences that could happen when he heard a small yet familiar voice saying his name, forgetting what he was mad about.

''Hi, Mike.'' 

Mike looked in the direction the voice came and smiled when he saw Eleven standing beside Hopper. She was wearing her favorite blue jeans but, this time, instead of her usual tees or flannels, she wore a pretty yellow turtle neck sweater.

''Hi,'' Mike said back, suddenly feeling very awkward and speechless. 

Joyce noticed the way the two were looking at each other and decided to intervene, feeling like Eleven could use some company. ''Hey, Mike, why don't you show Eleven around. She's never been to a science fair before,'' Mrs Byers suggested. 

.

They walked around the gymnasium, stopping at every or so booths because, let's be honest, some were very boring. Making electricity with a potato, really? They even met Dustin at the ice cream booth who was arguing with some girl for a second spoon of chocolate ice cream. Oh Dustin...

The dry ice by far Eleven's favorite booth. She found it really cool and fascinating how there was smoke when the ice touched the water. 

''You've never made dry ice in your science class before?'' 

Eleven shook her head at Mike's question. ''No. I'm home-schooled.''

That explains a lot. This is why she doesn't attend Hawkins's Middle School. 

''Oh.'' 

''And, my dad is really bad at science. I doubt he could make cool experiments like this. He'll probably end up blowing up the house,'' she joked.  

 

After the stupid volcano booth, they went to sit on the bottom of the bleachers, not feeling like going back to their friends yet. 

''So, what do you think of the science fair? Do you like it?''

''It's cool.''

There was a moment of silence, both of them staring at their feet until Mike broke the silence. ''El?''

She turned to look at Mike, their dark eyes locking. ''I'm happy you're here.'' 

''Me too,'' she replied, smiling.

.

When they came back to the boys's table, Hopper and Mrs Byers were gone. They must be wandering around the gymnasium, checking the other kids's projects. Will took the advantage of their absence and pushed the electric shocked in front of his new sister. ''Try it,'' he said to Eleven with a smirk on his lips.

'' _No_ , don't touch that,'' Mike warned, glaring at Will who was holding his laugh. Eleven moved her hand away rapidly. ''It's an electric shocker.'' 

Beside them, Lucas and Dustin shared a knowing look. 

 .

**Thursday, December 1st 1983**

  The first snow in Hawkins fell unexpectedly. No one was prepared for it.

No one. 

It was complete madness at the Wheeler's house. Karen had pulled out all the kids's winter clothes from the winter storage closet and was trying her best to find matching mittens, a scarf and a beanie for everyone. Mike's last year's coat was too small - his wrist weren't covered - and his boots were hurting his feet, being too small too. His sister didn't have the same problem footwear wise but her coat, on the other hand, was falling apart. There was a stain on the sleeve and the edges were very worn out, about to pierce. They were very due for new winter clothes but, the clock was turning and they had to go to school.

''Mom...'' Mike whined as Karen pulled the knit beanie on her son's head, making sure it covered his ears. 

''Wear your mittens too, Mike. I don't want you to get frostbites on your hands.''

Mike grabbed the brownish looking mittens and scrunched his face. ''Do I really have to? They're so ugly!'' 

''Grandma knitted them for you, please be nice and wear them, okay?''

Sighting, Mike put the mittens on, planning to take them off as soon as he's out of his mother's sight. All of his friends have nice mittens, why does he have to wear his colorblind grandma's creations? Sadly for him, it doesn't stop with the mittens, his grandma also knitted him and Nancy some sweaters and...they're  _not_  cute. On one of them she attempted to knit a dog but, in Mike's opinion, it looks more like a cow than a dog. 

Nancy stumbled down the stairs, beanie in hand and scarf half-way wrapped. ''Hurry up, Barb is meeting us half way. The roads are slippery and her mom doesn't want her to take the car.''

''It's not my fault! Mom's holding me back,'' Mike explained, trying to escape his mother's touch as she tried to adjust his scarf. 

With a sigh, Karen let go of her son and wished them a good day at school. ''Be careful outside.''

''Yes, mom,'' Nancy and Mike replied before closing the front door behind them. 

A gust of wind hit them in the face as they stepped outside. ''Ugh, I hate winter,'' Nancy grumbled, pulling her scarf over her nose, covering most of her face except her eyes. 

.

At school, kids were playing in the snow and throwing snowballs at each other. They weren't allowed to make snowballs but, it's not like there was any teachers around to stop them.  

Will and Mike teamed up against Dustin and Lucas. They were hiding behind a small set of bushes, just tall enough to cover their he and Will's faces when they were kneeling down. 

''We need to make as much snowballs as possible before we start throwing them,'' suggested Will, sharing his strategy with Mike.

Mike nodded and started piling snow in his hands, forming a snowball. On the other side, Dustin and Lucas had already started throwing their snowballs over, having a completely different strategy.

Once Mike judged they had enough to start the fight, he and Will picked up a snowball each and threw it at their friends, Mike almost hitting Dustin in the face. Oops. Will hit Lucas twice and took about five in return... He's not that good at snowball fight. Or any sports.

At least he has the brain.

Dustin and Lucas were running short on good snowballs, most of theirs falling apart in mid air while Will and Mike were still going strong. One particular big snowball hit Lucas square in the face as he dove down, making the boys laugh, Will holding his hand to high-five his best friend. 

''You're dead, Wheeler!'' Lucas yelled as he threw more snowballs at them, trying to not hit elbow Dustin in the face as the latter dunked to grab more snowballs, not synchronized with him.

Laughing, Mike threw another snowball and maybe he shouldn't have.

''Damn right he is,'' another voice said. A voice that was not Lucas nor Dustin's.

Oh shit.

Mike's eyes widen when he saw Troy a few meters away, a patch of snow on his coat's sleeve. He didn't aim the snowball at him. He didn't even knew Troy was there. It was an accident. An accident he's gonna have to pay for...

.

**Tuesday, December 6th 1983**

  This morning, all students were summoned to the gymnasium for a special chat about the winter events who were coming this month. Mr Carver started with the ski trip, the art week, the Christmas play and, of course, the Snow Ball. The mention of the Snow Ball had girls squealing with excitement in the bleachers, already thinking about the pretty dress they're going to wear and how they'll style their hair.

The Snow Ball is the middle school version of prom but, during the winter. There's music, dancing and food. Lots of food. This year, Mr Carver even hired a live band.

After Mr Carver was finished, everyone left the gymnasium. The boys were talking together as they walked out of the gymnasium, laughing at something Dustin said when Mr Clarke interrupted them.

''Are you boys going to the Snow Ball?''

They all looked at each other, making a face. ''Ew, gross,'' replied Lucas, not too keen on wearing a dress shirt and dressing up fancy for a school event. And the dancing.

''I have two left feet,'' said Dustin, referring to his bad dancing. ''Can't dance for shit.'' 

Will started to imitate him, making Mike and Lucas laugh. 

.

At lunch, it was just Mike and Lucas. Dustin had to re-take a test and Will wasn't feeling well so Mrs Byers picked him up after morning recess.

''Are you gonna ask Eleven.'' 

Mike raised an eyebrow, confused. ''Ask what?''

''The Snow Ball!'' Lucas added, rolling his eyes at Mike's slowness. 

The Snow Ball? Why would Mike go to the Snow Ball in the first place? Girls goes to the Snow Ball with attractive boys, not outcasts like him. Who would want to go to the Snow Ball with a baby faced, frog eyed, nerdy outcast? No one.

''Why would I talk to her about the Snow Ball?'' 

Lucas gave Mike a look. ''Come on. We all know you're all over her.'' 

''I'm not all over her. What are you talking about?'' Mike defended. ''She's my  _friend_.''

''Mike, seriously?'' 

''What?''

''You look at her all, like...Hi El! El! El!  _El_! I love you so much,'' Lucas mocked, pulling Mike in a joking hug, acting out. ''Would you marry me?'' 

Mike pushed Lucas off him, mildly annoyed. ''Shut up, Lucas.'' 

.

** Sunday, December 11th 1983 **

''I don't think I'm ever gonna get it,'' Eleven sighed, putting her face in her hands.

She and Mike have been sitting around the  _Dungeons & Dragons_ game board for more than two hours yet, she was nowhere near ready to play with the boys. They spent half an hour over the different creatures of the game and they were now going over the basic rules. Unlike the Will, Lucas and Dustin, Mike hadn't given up on teaching Eleven. He made it his goal to teach her before the new year so they can all play together by January. 

''Don't be so negative. You can do it. I'll explain another time, okay?''

A small whine escaped the short haired brunette's lips as she uncovered her face. ''Okay.'' 

Eleven wondered where Mike got his patience. He's been explaining the same things over and over yet, he doesn't look annoyed with her. 

''Let's go over the rules again.''

Eleven felt like crying. There's so many rules to this game. 

.

''Yes! That's it! You got it,'' Mike exclaimed, pulling Eleven into a hug. He was so proud of her.

She hesitantly hugged back and Mike froze, realizing what he just did. 

He opened his mouth to apologize and say he didn't meant to hug her but she spoke first.

''Thanks for being patient with me.'' 

.

** Wednesday, December 14th 1983 **

''Why not?'' Mike asked over the walkie-talkie. ''I don't see the issue. She can play D&D now.'' 

'' _Because she's a girl. Girls can't be a part of the Loser Club_ ,'' Will declared. It was a lame excuse but he'd do anyhting to not have Eleven into their club.

You'd think he would've had warmed up to her after two months of commune life but, he's still as biter about her as he was when she moved in back in October. His friends might have welcomed her into their group but, Will won't let her into their club. Ever. He has a word on who gets in and if one boy say no, it's a  _no_. It's one of the rules. 

''Why do you hate her so much?''

'' _I don't hate her-_ ''

''That's the vibe you give, though. You always exclude her and bring her down every time you talk about her.''

There was a long pause before they heard from Will. '' _I don't mean to do that. I just... Why do you want her to integrate the Loser Club anyway?_ ''

''She's our friend. She deserve to be a part of the club.'' 

'' _She's your friend, Mike_ , '' Will corrected. '' _Not mine_.''

'' _I think it'd be cool to have a girl in our club_ ,'' Dustin said, standing on Mike's side. '' _It's been the four of us for so long, a new member could be cool._ ''

'' _I like it when it's only the four of us. Why does it have to change?_ '' 

''Eleven's almost always with us, it won't be a massive change.'' 

'' _That's right. She's always there now. I wish we could go back in time when it was only the four of us in Mike's basement_.'' 

What started as a conversation about the possibility to integrate a new member into their club turned into an heated argument between Mike and Will. It was their first serious argument and for a few seconds Dustin - who was listening - was afraid it would be the breaking point of Mike and Will's friendship. 

'' _We grew up together and she's a stranger. She doesn't understand the meaning behind out club. She doesn't know what we've went trough. She doesn't know shit about science or sci-fi. She doesn't- She doesn't belong to the Loser Club._ '' 

''Lucas and Dustin approved-''

'' _Well, I don't._ '' There was a pause. '' _If you like her so much, why don't you replace me for her_ ,'' Will spat. 

''I've never said tha- Will?'' No answer. ''Will?'' Mike tried again, gulping when he realized that Will had turned off his walkie-talkie. 

.

It was just a silly fight. Will will call him in a day or two and they'll go back to being best friends.

Or, that's Mike tried to convince himself it was.

It's normal for friends to fight sometimes.

But...he and Will  _never_  fight. Okay, that's a lie. They might have fought over who got to play with the massive Star Wars spaceship Mike got at Christmas last year or which movie they were watching first during a sleep over but, this fight was different. 

After dinner, Mike went straight to his room, skipping dessert, mumbling something about having tons of homework. Mike did  _not_  have homework. It was a stupid excuse to go to his room without his parents asking questions.

He sat on his bed, legs crossed over his colorful, white plaid sheets and sighed.  _How did we end up here?_

Targeting the source of the conflict is not always easy. The best way to get there is to replay the conversation over and over until you find it. Luckily for Mike, he won't have to do that. He already knows the main element of their fight:  _Eleven_. Will made it clear since the moved to Hawkins, he doesn't like her. Why? Nobody knows. 

Will said he didn't want Eleven to join their club because she, according to him, didn't belong there. How can he know she doesn't belong to their club if he knows nothing about her? Other than her name, unconditional love for Eggos and weird quirks, Will knows nothing about her. Maybe if he tried to get to know her, he would see that she isn't that she isn't much different than them.

When Mike first met Eleven at the Byers's house, she looked very lonely and shy. She had no friends and he felt sad for her because everyone should have at least  _one_  friend...so he proposed himself. He promised her he's be her friend and, the look on her face when he confirmed his promise...she looked so,  _so_  happy. For a few seconds, Mike thought she never had a friend before.

He can't break his friendship with El. He can't break his promise. What if...what if he breaks her heart too?

Will is being selfish. Making Mike chose between his best friend and new friends, what is this? Just because Will's his best friend, he can't make new friends anymore?

Mike knows for a fact that Eleven would feel really bad if Mike and Will's friendship ended because of her. She's such a kind soul. How someone so kind and pure can be so problematic? Mike never thought a girl would ever come between him and one of his friends, at least, not at this age. It pains him that two of his friends can't get along. Lucas and Dustin welcomed her with open arms into their group, why can't he do the same?

Will also said something about feeling replaced. What made him think Mike wanted to replace him for Eleven? Sure, Mike did spend a lot of time with Eleven over the past weeks and he may or may not have neglected his best friend but, it's not like he's been ignoring the boys to hang out with her. He  _never_  cancelled plans to be with her. And, how would Eleven integrating the Loser Club replace him? They never said there could only be four members. If anything, she's just going to be an addition to the club, another member. 

Ugh, why can't everyone just get along? Why does friendship have to be so complicated?

A knock on his door pulled Mike out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw Nancy standing in the doorway. ''Do you have a red pencil? Mine broke and I need to finish this art project for tomorrow.''

''Erm, yeah.'' Mike stood from his bed and walked to his desk, grabbing his coloring pencil box. ''Here,'' he said, handing it to her.

She took them and frowned, noticing how distraught and worried her little brother looked. ''What's wrong? You look upset.'' 

Biting down his bottom lip, not seeing a reason to not be honest with his sister. She's not like his mom, she won't ask a billion questions. Well, he doesn't think so. ''Will and I had a fight. He turned off his radio and won't talk to me.'' 

''Oh?'' Nancy frowned. ''You and him never fight,'' she pointed.

''I know...''

''I might not be the best person to get advice from but, I know that, in a friendship, fights and disagreements are bound to happen once in a while. I'm sure Will won't stay mad for long.''

Mike stayed silent as he listened to Nancy. It's rare she give him advice - not that he ever goes to her when he has a problem...unless it's for money. 

''Believe it or not, Barb and I fight too sometimes about... _personal choices_  and we're still best friends. It's just a silly fight. You'll work it out, don't worry,'' she said with a small, smile, trying to sympathisewith him. 

Nancy must be right. It's just a silly fight. But, if it's such a silly fight, why is he does he feel like this?

''What was it about?'' 

''Eleven.'' 

.

**Friday, December 16th 1983**

  School was complicated now that Mike and Will weren't on talking therms. Whenever Mike was with Lucas and Dustin, Will would leave and go somewhere else. When the boys noticed, they decided to split. At lunch, Lucas would go sit with Will and Dustin would stay with Mike and they's switch for recess, Lucas spending the morning with Mike and afternoon with Will and vice versa.

''You guys need to get your shit together because Lucas and I, we  _can't_  continue like this,'' Dustin said between two spoonful of chocolate pudding. ''I understand that you him had a fight but, please, for our sake, please talk.''

''Will doesn't want to talk to me. I called at his house yesterday and Mrs Byers said Will wasn't home but, I could hear him clearly say that he did not want to talk to me.'' 

''Did you try again?'' 

Mike shook his head. Why should he keep calling if he knows Will won't pick up? 

''Why are you do keen on Eleven joining the club though? I'd love for her to join but, I'm curious to see your point of view.'' 

''I don't know. She's just like us in a way, I guess. She fits the Loser Club's personality very well. She isn't like everyone and doesn't try to be. She doesn't care what other thinks of her. She's her own kind.''

A knowing smirk appeared on Dustin's face as he listened to his friend talking about Eleven. Although he agreed to all of Mike's enumerations, a part of him felt like there was something more to this that Mike wasn't telling him. 

''Personally, if I were in a club, I wouldn't want my sister to be in the same club as me....but, I don't have a sister. I only have a cat.'' 

Mike hummed. He didn't think about that. ''You think this is why Will doesn't want her to join?''

Dustin shrugged. ''I don't know. Maybe. Don't quote me on that. Will hasn't told me anything. Not that I asked.''

''You didn't ask?!'' the raven haired boy repeated, giving Dustin a 'wtf' look. ''What's the point of you and Lucas running left and right if you don't play messager?'' Mike asked, raising his arm into the air in exasperation.

''Lucas and I are your friends, not your damn messagers. If you really want to know the reason why Will is mad at you, why don't you go see him and ask yourself?''

Mike knitted his eyebrows, both surprised and offended because the way Dustin was saying it, the fight was  _all_  Mike's fault. ''Don't act like it's up to me if we rekindle our friendship. Will is the one who stopped talking to me.''

Dustin sighed and apologized. He should have used better words. ''I know but, as awesome as Eleven is, is she worth ruining a friendship?'' 

 . 

**Saturday, December 17th 1983**

  After playing outside for hours, building snow forts and chasing each other with snowballs, Mike and Eleven were now very cold and very...wet. They stumbled inside the Wheeler's house, humming in appreciation at the feeling of warmth on their cold cheeks. They took off their boots and wet coats, hanging them up by the stairs so their could dry.

Two hot chocolates were waiting for them on the kitchen table, thanks to Karen. ''Thanks Mrs Wheeler.'' 

''Call me Karen, please.'' 

Eleven nodded and sat next to Mike, taking a small sip of her hot beverage,careful to not burn herself. ''It's good, uh?'' he asked. Eleven nodded. ''Mom makes  _the_  best hot chocolate.'' 

''Aw, thanks Sweetie,'' Karen replied from the counter where she was working on tonight's dinner.

Mike groaned in embarrassment at the pet name her mom used. Why does she always do this in front of his friends? 

Unlike Dustin or Lucas, Eleven didn't tease him. She just smiled as she sipped her hot drink, loving the feeling as it passed her throat, warming her inside, slowly warming up. Mike started talking about the new Superman movie he saw last night with his parents, telling her how awesome it was and that she needed to see it. ''It's not as cool as Star Wars but, it was a good superhero movie. Next time you come over, we can watch it if you want.'' 

The brunette girl nodded.

''After your done with your hot chocolate, I'd like you to go and change out of those wet clothes. I wouldn't want you to be sick the week before Christmas.''

Eleven bit her lip. ''I didn't bring a change of clothes.'' 

''You can borrow some from Mike, right, Mike?'' 

''Yeah. Sure. Come with.'' Mike stood up and the two headed upstairs where his bedroom was, their wet socks leaving foot prints on the floors. 

Eleven entered Mike's bedroom for the first time. The walls were a blue-gray shade and the furniture were a varnish looking wood. The walls were plastered with sci-fi posters and the floor was a bit messy, toys and clothes laying here and there. His bed was unmade and you could spot Mike's baby blanket with cute giraffes by his pillow but Eleven didn't comment on it. 

Walking to his closet, Mike opened the doors, pulling out a few things while Eleven grimaced at the feeling of her wet clothes sticking to her body. It's very unpleasing. Mike handed her a pair of gray joggers and a navy sweatshirt. ''You can change here, I'll use the bathroom. When I come back, I'm gonna knock two times and you'll let me know if you're done, okay?''

''Okay.'' 

 .

They were sitting in the basement in their blanket fort, cuddling with the mass of blankets and pillows to stay warm and toasty despite the start of a blizzard happening outside. 

''What's the Snow Ball?'' 

The Snow Ball? How does she know about the Snow Ball? 

''It's this cheesy school dance where you go in the gym and dance to music and stuff,'' Mike explained. ''Why are you asking?''

''Lucas came over the other day and he asked me if you had told me about the Snow Ball. I was very confused so he figured you hadn't told me.''

_Mind your business, Lucas._

Mildly annoyed with his nosey friend, Mike tried to keep a blank face. ''Oh.''

Not knowing what Mike's expression meant, Eleven looked down and started picking at the hem of a blanket. 

''Are you going? To the Snow Ball.'' 

''No. I've never went.'' Shaking his head, Mike laughed lightly. ''I'd look like a loser. And a loner.'' 

''Why? I'm sure Will, Lucas and Dustin would come with you.''

Mike sighed, wishing Eleven would understand what he meant. You  _don't_  go to school dances with your friends, well, you can but, you'd look like a bigger loser than if you went alone. Or, maybe not. It's not like Mike knew anything about school dances. Boys goes to school dances with a girl they find cute - and vice versa - but Mike's afraid that maybe Eleven will get the wrong message if he says that and it's gonna get awkward very fast and... _ugh_.

How to explain it to her without sounding like an idiot?

''You go to school dance with someone you...you know. Someone that you...like.'' 

Eleven frowned. ''I'm still confused. Why would Lucas think-''

''Lucas got this idea that I like you...as  _more_  than a friend.'' 

And it's out. 

''And you don't?'' she asked in a careful voice.

''Well, I...'' 

Mike was stuck. What should he say to her? His answer could play on their friendship and Mike's very aware of it. And scared. He's only twelve years old for fuck sake, he doesn't think about girls like that. 

His eyes were set on the brunette girl in front of him. Her hair had grown a bit since she moved to Hawkins. She still resembled a little boy - Mike's clothes weren't helping her case - but, her pretty, almond shaped eyes, full lips and cute button nose compensated in therm of femininity. For a girl his age, Eleven  _was_  pretty but, Mike doesn't like her like that. At least, he doesn't think so. 

''Mike! Mrs Byers is here,'' Karen called from upstairs.

_Saved by the bell._

.

**Monday, December 18th 1983**

  On Monday, after science class, Will blocked the door as Mike was leaving and asking to talk. With a sigh, Mike turned around and sat on a desk, crossing his arms as he waited for Will to do the talking. 

Will sat down on the desk in front of Mike and lowered his gaze to his lap where he was anxiously playing with his fingers. ''Eleven and I had a talk last night.''

Surprised, Mike raised an eyebrow, not saying anything yet. 

''She said she wasn't trying to steal you from me or intrude into our club, that she didn't want us to fight because of her. She also said that if that's what it takes, she'd stop hanging out with my friends just so you and I can be friends again.''

Mike smiled, recognizing the brunette girl he loves to spend time with. Of course she'd say that. She has such a big heart. She doesn't want to harm anyone or break any friendship.

''Wanna know why I talked to her?'' 

''You finally realized she wasn't the bad guy?'' Mike half joked.

Will shook his head. ''No. Not quite. It's your sister, Nancy. I came home from school last week and she and Jonathan were talking in his room. The door was ajar so I heard everything. She said you were sad because of our fight. Because you might have ruined an important friendship over a girl.'' 

Nancy Wheeler going all the way to Jonathan Byers's house to talk about their siblings's fight? Wow. Mike didn't expect that from her. Maybe she's not so bad for a sister after all. He'll have to thank her later.

''I've thought about it over the past days and...I don't want our ten years of friendship to end like this. I- You're my  _best_   _friend_ , Mike. I don't want to loose you but, sometimes, I feel like you'd rather spend time with Eleven than me. And, it  _hurts_.''

''It's not true,'' Mike defended. ''I want to spend time with both of you. Equally. It's just hard because every time she hang out with us, I feel bad for forcing you to hang out with someone you don't like. That's why I started seeing her without you. Not because I'd rather see her than you. I tried to make you both happy but, I guess it didn't work out the way I thought it would,'' Mike explained.

Will felt dumb for coming to conclusion so fast. ''Oh. Really?''

''Yeah!''

''I feel bad now for-''

Mike stood from the desk, crossing the space between him and Will. ''It's okay. It was a misunderstanding.''

Will nodded. ''I'm sorry.'' 

''I'm sorry too.'' 

.

**Thursday, December 22nd 1983**

  Colorful lights and other festive decorations were spread all round the Wheeler's house. Even the staircase had a green garland and Christmas lights wrapped around the ramp. The massive tree was finally set up in the living room, red ribbons were wrapped around the chairs and Mrs Wheeler even set up a poinsettia plant in the middle of the kitchen table.

They were ready for Christmas.

The kitchen smelled lovely with all the Christmas baking Nancy and her mom made before dinner. Holly even tried to help but her mom shooed him out of the kitchen when she caught her eating the dough of their gingerbread cookies. 

''Ally and the girls are having a Christmas get together tomorrow night at Ally's. She's leaving on Saturday for New York to see her grand-parents so we won't get to see her until school starts again in January,'' Nancy said as she cut some more gingerbread shapes with the cookie cutter. 

''I'd like you to be there when aunt Marie and her kids gets here. It's rare we have family over.'' 

''Why? Mike is going to Will's tomorrow night. Why can't I go to a friend's house too?'' 

''Because I'm the favorite child,'' Mike replied, just to annoy Nancy some more. 

Karen sighed, putting another batch of cookies into the oven. ''Mike's gonna be back before ten. Not you.''

Nancy put the cookie cutter down and faced her mom with knitted eyebrows. ''This is unfair!'' she declared. ''Barb's going to be there and all the girls. I can't be the only one to not come. Ally's one of my best friends.'' 

''I'm sorry, Nance, but, it's no.''

''You won't even have to pick me up, I can walk back, it's not that far.''

''I don't feel safe having you outside so late. The roads are slippery and it's snowing a lot. I wouldn't want you to get hit by a drunk driver on the way home.'' 

''Then, I can ask Barb to drive me back. I'm sure it won't be a problem-'' 

''Nancy...'' 

The teenager raised an eyebrow at her mother. ''What?''

''You are not going to Ally's tomorrow night and that's final,'' Karen said with a stern voice, leaving no place for discussion. 

''What am I going to do with Ally's present?'' 

''You can give it to her tomorrow.'' Nancy's eyes light up, thinking for a mere second that her mom changed her mind. ''At  _school_. And you come straight home after.'' 

''Right. Because I'm living in a prison...'' Nancy mumbled, angrily grabbing the cookie cutter and stabbing the dough, not caring if the shapes they looked like gingerbread or not.

''You're just pissed off because you wanna hang out with Steve,'' Mike pointed, knowing all about Nancy and Ally's plan. The walls in this house are very thin and every time Nancy is on the phone, Mike can hear all her conversation from his bedroom. Like last night when she was talking to Ally about their 'girls only' Christmas party. It's bullshit. They've invited tons of boys, one of them being Steve Harrington. 

Nancy raised her eyebrows at her brother in warning. 

''Steve?'' Ted repeated, raising an eyebrow and joining the conversation for the first time of the night.

''Who's Steve?'' Karen asked, just as confused.

''Her new boyfriend.'' 

''You're such a douchebag, Mike!'' Nancy got up and left the kitchen while Mike was trying his hardest not to laugh, mentally clapping himself on the back. One for Mike, zero for Nancy.

''Language,'' Ted warned in a monotonous voice, his eyes still on his news paper which angered Mrs Wheeler. 

.

**Friday, December 23rd 1983**

  This year, Will was hosting the Looser Club's Christmas meet up. It was the first time the meet up was at the Byers and Mrs Byers was very excited to receive all of Will's friends over. They've hung out at the Byers before but, never like that. She had prepared tons of Christmas deserts and even bought small stockings for Dustin, Mike and Lucas, filling them with candy canes, chocolate and other Christmas themed candies.

Joyce had set up the table with the help of Eleven, placing all the Christmas deserts on small plates with Christmas trees, snowmen and Santas on. She even made a special drink that tasted like cranberries - with no alcohol, of course. It was very festive looking. 

''Will, can you get the door, please?'' Joyce yelled from the kitchen where she was adding the finishing touches to her cake.

Will ran up the the door and opened it, revealing his best friend, Mike. ''Common in, common in,'' Will said in an uptight voice, mimicking those fancy doorkeepers in movies. Mike chuckled stepped in. ''You're the first to arrive so you're gonna have to help us finish decorating the tree. There's still a whole box of ornements to go trough.''

''You haven't set up your tree yet?'' Mike asked with a frown as he took off his winter gear, revealing his green and navy plaid button up his mom forced him to wear. ''Ours has been up for almost two weeks. Mom's an early decorator.''

They went to the living room where Jonathan was working on the tree, hanging ornements here and there. He wasn't good at decorating the Christmas tree. Most of the time, he didn't even look if the ornement he just placed looked good there. Oh Jonathan...

The three boys helped finish the tree, laughing and singing along to the Christmas music coming from the stereo.

''Mom! Jonathan just broke an ornement!'' Will yelled, pointing at the mess by his brother's feet. 

Jonathan covered Will's mouth, making the younger boy giggle. ''Did not! Will's lying, mom,'' Jonathan defended.

From the kitchen, Joyce shook her head, chuckling at her sons's banters. ''Whoever made the mess, just make sure there's no pieces left on the floor. Wouldn't want anyone to cut themselves.'' 

''Where's El?'' Mike asked, not seeing her around.

Mike hasn't seen Eleven since the Snow Ball talk and he would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to see her. 

''She went out with Hopper,'' Will replied.

Mike nodded and they went back to decorating the tree. 

.

Lucas and Dustin arrived an hour later, just in time to play  _Atari_. Will had just received the console and all the boys were either beaming over the video game console or fighting over who's turn it was.

''It's my turn!''

''No, it's mine!''

''What? You just played, it's my turn!'' 

''Give me the controller, Byers-''

''No! It's my turn, Mike just played, right Mike? Tell him it's my turn,'' Will defended, tapping on Mike's shoulder to get his help but the raven haire boy had hear the front door's doorknob turn and his attention was elsewhere. The door was pushed opened and revealed Jim Hopper and his daughter, snow on their coats and noses red from the cold. 

Mike watched as Eleven took off her hat, tapping it on the wooden bench to get the snow off of it. She hadn't noticed Mike in the living room yet. Once she did, her big eyes blinked at him, sparkles in them as her lips curved up. She quickly unbuttoned her coat and joined the boys in the living room.

Lucas waved at her, Dustin and Will too busy fighting ove the controller. ''Hey.'' 

Eleven waved back sitting next to Mike. ''Hi, Mike.''

''H-hi,'' he said back, earning a snicker from Lucas. Mike elbowed him subtly.  _Stop it!_

''What are you boys playing?'' she asked, frowning at the television screen. 

''Atari,'' Mike explained, turning to her, only now noticing her festive outfit. She wore a red fuzzy sweater with a ribbon at the collar. She looked- ''You look pretty... _good_. You look pretty good,'' Mike corrected, praying no one noticed his little slip up.

Eleven looked down, he cheeks flushing a little at the compliment.

.

When it was finally time to hand the presents, Will went first, handing a small envelope to Eleven who looked very surprised. 

''For me?'' Will nodded. For a few seconds, she was afraid it was some prank and that Will had put some worms or something gross inside but, it wasn't. She opened the enveloppe and pulled out a small grey and blue card.  _Congratulation, Eleven Hopper, you are now an official member of the Loser Club!_  ''What's this?'' she asked with a frown, suddenly very confused.

''This is your official membership for the Looser Club,'' Dustin explained. 

''Yeah, you're a part of it now,'' added Lucas.

Eleven's eyes lit up. ''For real?'' she asked with a grin.

Mike nodded.

''Erm, Eleven,'' Will said, catching her attention. ''I know you and I started on a bad foot and that you're probably very confused right now because Mike and I recently had a fight about this exact subject but, I think Mike's right about you. Maybe you're not that different of us.'' Eleven shared a knowing look with Mike and smiled down before returning to Will. ''I have never been very nice to you and when I was, it was only because my mom or your dad were watching which was very hypocrite of me... I might not be ready to accept you as a sister, yet, but maybe we can try and be friends? If you want to forgive me, that it,'' Will added.

A wave of emotions filled Eleven's heart, her eyes starting to water. Will's speech wasn't grandiose or particularly emotional but, it meant a lot to her. It was Will saying sorry and accepting her into their friend group. It was Will giving up his grudges against her and accepting to get to know her. 

''I-I'm sorry, Eleven.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think and leave kudos, xx


	3. 1984 | THIRTEEN (January)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, my laptop broke and wouldn't turn on so I had to send it for repair and thank god it was repairable. I was so scared I'd have to buy a new one. I only had my phone for the past few weeks and...who wants to write on their phone? No one. The holidays are right around the corner too and, ugh I'm so fucking busy! Between cooking, getting makeup contracts, wrapping presents - I'm the only one who's good at it in my family - and trying to keep my mental health somewhat stable, I barely have time to write.

**Sunday, January 1st 1984**

For New Year, the Wheeler's house was full. Once again, Karen had decided to transform her house into a festive house party and Mike was  _not_  having it. Getting his cheeks pinched by various family members, playing with his liittle cousins, having to kiss his aunts and grandma...getting lipstick coated kisses form them.  _Yikes_.

''Mike, come down, please,'' begged Karen from the bottom of the stairs, knowing her son was hiding in his room. ''Come say 'hi' to aunt Susan.''

A grimaced formed on Mike's lips. Out of anyone in the family, aunt Susan is the worst. She not only request a tons of kisses but she also love to pull him on her lap and hug him super tight against her saggy breasts... He's  _twelve_ , not five. He doesn't sit on his relative's lap anymore. It's weird.

''Mike!''

With a sigh, Mike stood up, adjusting his constricting outfit - dress shirt, sweater and tie - before descending the stairs to greet his aunt. Honestly, Mike would've rather gone to Dustin's house and the latter has the stomach flu.

Like he had predicted, aunt Susan pulled him into a hug as soon as he caught her eye. ''Michael! My sweet boy, you're grown so much,'' she said, pressing her lips against his cheeks.

With a tight lipped, Mike let himself being pulled on his aunt's lap on the familial couch. ''Hi, aunt Susan,'' Mike mumbled, staying polite under his mom's watchful eye.

To his discomfort, aunt Susan didn't stop with hugs, she also wrapped her arms around him and swayed him around while kissing his cheeks. Mike has never wanted to die like he does right now.

''I missed you so much, Michael.''

Lucky for him, Holly came to the rescue with her cookies, offering one to aunt Susan. ''For me?'' she asked Holly.

Holly nodded eagerly. ''Take one. Take one!''

Aunt Susan couldn't say no to that smile so she took a cookie from Holly and Mike took advantage of her looking away to slip off her lap and run to the kitchen to hide, as far as possible from aunt Susan.

''How's aunt Susan?'' Nancy asked, an amused smile on her lips behind her glass.

Mike glared at her. ''Shut up.''

.

** Saturday, January 7th 1984 **

  Winter break was almost over when the group finally reunited. Lucas had been back since Wednesday but Will and Eleven had to extend their stay in New York due to a nasty snowstorm. Although Hopper wasn't afraid of the weather, some roads were closed. 

''Will should get back today, right?'' 

''Yeah, El said-''

''El,'' Lucas repeated, wiggling his eyebrows.

'' _Shut up_. She called to ask me about a school thing because, you know, she's gonna go to our school from Monday and- Why am I even telling you this?'' 

Lucas snickered and put a card on the table, beating Mike. Cards aren't usual their first game choice but something sad happened on Christmas with Mike's  _Dungeons & Dragons _game. Because family was staying over, Mike had to put all his games and toys away in the basement to make room for family members. Not wanting to get his favorite game broken, Mike took the D&D box to his bedroom but Holly got her hands on it and tore off the game board and broke every single figures. Mike's dad said he'd fix it but, everyone know he's never gonna fix it. 

''Where's Dustin? Why isn't he here?''  

''He's stuck at home.'' 

Lucas frowned. ''Still sick? He's had stomach flu since New Year...weird.''

Mike mimicked his friend's expression, equally confused. Stomach flu doesn't last that long. One to three days maximum. It's been more than seven days, he should be in shape by now. 

The doorbell rang upstairs and both boys bolted upstairs, eager to see their friends.

. 

Mike and Lucas all jumped on Will as soon as he set foot inside, pulling him in a sort of hug as snow fell inside the house from the open door.

''Guys, I need air,'' Will said, trying to retire from the hug. 

The boys let him go and Will stepped aside, making room so Eleven could get inside too. 

''Where's Dustin? I thought he was staying in Hawkins for the holidays?'' she asked, looking around for their curly haired friend as she took off her winter boots.

''He's had 'stomach flu' for the past seven days,'' Lucas explained, using quote marks. ''In my opinion, he's not sick. He's just lazy.''

''I bet he ate to much chocolate pudding,'' Will joked, making the everyone laugh. 

.

''-and then Jonathan went to help but he didn't listen to Hopper and got stuck in the snow too. He had snow to his knees! It was so funny.''

Eleven laughed along Will's story, nodding as he told their friends about their holiday trip. ''The look on your mom's face when she thought we had drowned in the snow too,'' she added, bringing a hand over her mouth to cover her giggles.

''Yeah! Mom couldn't find Eleven and I and she thought we went to help Hopper and Jonathan outside but we were behind the curtains, watching and laughing at these two idiots stuck in the snow.''

It was new to see Will not sulking while Eleven was there and actually having fun together. They might not be the best of friends yet but, they are at least getting along. Hearing them, it sounded like they had a great Christmas break with Hopper's family. 

''It's not like we would've been very helpful anyway. We're a lot smaller than them.''

Mike chuckled at the story, wishing he was there to see Hopper and Jonathan stuck in the snow. It must've been really funny. 

''Did anyone went to help them?'' Lucas asked.

Will nodded. ''Mom did.''

''And unlike them, she didn't get stuck,'' Eleven precised. ''What else did you guys do during Christmas break?'' 

.

It was almost four-thirty and Lucas went home a few minutes ago, having promised his mother he'd be home for dinner. Mike had brought his collection of comic books and they were all sitting on the old couch, reading about superheros. Comic books were new for Eleven, used to read regular books, and Mike happily taught her how to read them. He even influenced her on reading his favorite issue of DC Comics's Batman. 

''Mike,'' Eleven said once she heard Will close the bathroom door. She had been waiting to have a moment alone with the raven haired boy to say this and now is the time.

Mike hummed, his eyes still on his comic book. ''Yeah?''

''I missed you.'' 

Out of all the things Mike was expecting her to say, this was pretty far on the list - was it even on the list? He thought she have came across a difficult word or that she couldn't understand a certain scene in her comic book. Not that she had missed him while on Christmas break.

Looking up from his comic book, his lips turned up into a smile as he turned to her. ''I missed you too.'' 

.

** Monday, January 9th 1984 **

''I don't feel good.'' 

''It's gonna be okay.''

Today was Eleven's first day at Hawkins Middle School and she was very nervous. Hopper had dropped her and Will before he went to work, Jonathan being stuck in bed with a cold. Although she was the same age as the boys, Eleven had never attended public school. With Hopper's cop job, they were always on the move and being home schooled was more convenient for her. Now that Hopper had found someone to share his life with, he figured that his daughter could go to school with Will - and the boys - if she wanted. 

Like promised, Mike was waiting for her by the school's gates and walked her inside. He guided her trough the school, showing her his favorite class - Mr. Clarke's science class, of course - and where they eat. She was a bit confused why the boys don't eat the the rest of the school but didn't ask questions.

The bell rang and she had to leave Mike and go to class...on her own.  _That_  was scary.

''What group are you in?'' Mike asked her, keeping his tone calm.

She bit down he lip and pulled her paper from the folder she was holding. ''512.'' 

Mike is in 515 which is an advanced class but for P.E and Arts, groups gets mixed. They still have chances to have classes together. 

''Are we in the same group?'' Eleven asked.

Mike shook his head. ''I'm sorry... None of us are in that class, El.''

Panic flashed in Eleven's eyes but Mike was quick to reassure her. ''We'll see each other during recess and lunch. Maybe we'll have P.E. or Arts together.'' 

''Will said you were  _all_  in the same class. I thought I-''

''I know, it sucks. Last year, Dustin was in the same situation as you.'' 

Eleven's eyebrows went up. ''Really? Did he make new friends?''

Thinking about it, Dustin's situation was not a good example because he got paired with this girl and she was very mean to him. She kept teasing him about his curly hair and laughing about his lisp caused by his missing teeth. As if he chose to be born without his front teeth.

''Well...'' Mike trailed, not wanting to scare her with Dustin's story. He shouldn't have brought this up. It's not a good story. 

Around them, everyone was walking to their respective class and Eleven was starting to panic again because a) she will know no one in her group and b) the second bell is about to ring and she and Mike are both gonna be late. 

Mike starting walking trough the hall, Eleven following close behind. ''Here,'' he said, stopping in front of a classroom. This is it. 512. I'm on the other side of the hallway, right there,'' Mike explained, pointing to the open door across Eleven's classroom. ''I'll see you in an hour, okay? At recess.''

.

''See, it wasn't that bad, uh?''

'' _It wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be_ ,'' Eleven confessed over the radio after dinner. '' _Mrs. Frances is very nice._ ''

''Yeah, I heard she is. Did you meet Mr. Clarke yet? He's the coolest teacher.'' 

'' _The science teacher? Not yet. I don't have science until Thursday_.''

''Oh.'' Mike paused. ''Do you have any special class tomorrow? Like, arts and stuff?''

'' _Erm, let me check_.'' Mike heard a scratchy noise before Eleven's voice picked up again. ''Yes! I have P.E. before lunch.'' 

Mike's lips turned up when she mentioned P.E. before lunch becuase, guess what, he has P.E before lunch too. It's their first class together, it's so cool. ''Really? That means we're in the same P.E. class, El!''

'' _What? For real?_ '' Eleven sounded so happy over the radio, Mike wished he was able to see her face. He loves when she smiles. 

''Yeah, we're playing basketball. I'm not really good at sports but, Lucas is. He'll help us.'' 

'' _I've never played basketball..._ ''

''It's okay. We can learn together. Tomorrow.'' 

'' _Tomorrow_.''

.

**Thursday, January 12th 1984**

  Science had Eleven more than confused. Although she loved hearing Mike talk about science back at the school's Science Fair, all these scientific therms were complicated and difficult to understand. Her dad tried his best to teach her science but...let's say science isn't Hopper's fort! 

Eleven's eyebrows furrowed as Mr. Clarke talked about cells while holding an onion.  _What?_  

In times like this, she wished Mike was there to help her. 

''Now, I want you to find a partner for this semester's labs. Pick wisely because you're gonna be stuck together until June,'' Mr. Clarke said trough the noise of scraping chairs and chatting students. 

Most of the binomials were already formed when a girl with long, blonde hair walked over to Eleven's desk. ''Do you want to be my lab partner?'' she asked with a smile.

Surprised, Eleven was at loss of words. She has been in this group for almost a week and this is the first time someone come up to her. ''Eh...What? I mean, yeah. Of course.''

''I'm Samantha,'' the girl said, introducing herself as she took a seat beside Eleven. 

''Eleven.'' 

Samantha gave her a confused look. ''What? I didn't catch what you said.''

''My name. It's Eleven.'' 

''Eleven?'' she repeated, still confused because who in their right mind call their child after a number. It's weird. 

''Yes.'' 

''Are your parents members of some weird sects or something?''

Eleven shook her head. ''No?''

''Oh.'' 

Mr. Clarke passed by Eleven and Samantha's desks, handing them a worksheet and, to Eleven's relief, their conversation turned to more scientific subjects.

The rest of the hour went by and as the bell rang, Samantha tapped Eleven's arm just as she was about to leave for recess. ''Come sit with me at lunch. I'll keep you a seat.''

Although the offer was nice, Eleven had to decline. She always eat lunch with the boys. She can't ditch them. ''I'm eating with my friends,'' she replied.

''They can come too, I guess.''

.

Lunch arrived and Eleven shared her invitations with the boys.

''Are you sure we were invited too?'' Will asked as they all walked trough the hall, on their way to the cafeteria. 

Sighing, she turned to her half-brother. ''For the fifth time, Will,  _yes_.''

''It's just that sometimes you misunderstand things and-''

Dustin pushed the cafeteria door open, the rest of the group following behind. The room was packed with students, all tables already taken. Eleven scanned the room for Samantha, ignoring Will's mumbling behind her.

''There,'' Eleven sait, nodding at the blonde girl standing by a table near the back. She waved back at the blonde girl and Dustin's widen when he saw who it was. 

''Abort.'' Dustin turned to leave but Lucas grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him from getting away. 

''Stop acting like a baby.'' 

''I am not sitting with them. Nope. Not happening.'' Dustin crossed his arms, refusing to turn around and face the cafeteria.

''What's up with him?'' Eleven asked, confused about the situation. 

''Dustin has this massive crush on Samantha since he's ten,'' Mike replied casually. 

Dustin glared at his friend. ''Thanks!'' he said in a sarcastic tone.

''Everyone knows about your crush, get over it.'' 

Lucas was right. His crush on Samantha was no secret. Even she probably knew about it. Dustin sent her a secret Valentine card last year and pretty much gave himself away with his scientific comparison. 

''I didn't sign my name into the card, how could she have know it was me?''

''You talked about electricity and volcano lava...''

''So what? Anyone could write that.'' 

''Yeah but...you're the only science obsessed guy in the school.''

''What's wrong with liking science? You like science too-''

''Guys! We're going to miss lunch if you don't stop,'' remarked Will, once again putting an end to a fight between members of the Loser Club. 

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm far from being done with 1985 but, I felt bad for making you all wait so long so I decided to release January. It's not very long but, it's something. Please leave kudos and comments, I love reading you all <3
> 
> Thoughts on Mike spending NYE with his family? Eleven saying she missed him during the holidays? Dumb bickering between the Loser Club and Will always putting an end to it? Eleven making a new friend? Dustin and Samantha?


	4. 1984 | THIRTEEN (February)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's February! I wish I could post the whole chapter in one shot but, I have a lot going on in my life at the moment and it is impossible for me to update faster.

** Saturday, February 4th 1984 **

  Like the year before, Joyce Byers folded herself in four to organise her son's birthday surprise. She baked a massive chocolate cake and decorated their living room and kitchen with tons of balloons and crepe paper streamers. Will's turning thirteen and, to Joyce, it's a big deal. He's her baby boy and he won't be a baby anymore.

As asked by Joyce, Eleven had told the boys about the surprise party and they were now all in the Byers's living room, laughing and playing with the party horns as they chased each other in the small house. 

While running away from Mike and Lucas who were chasing after her in the hallway, Eleven bumped into Dustin and fell on the floor, her head hitting the wall on the way.

It wasn't his fault but the curly haired boy still felt the need to apologies. '' _Shit_ , I'm sorry, Ele-''

Mike saw the whole scene from where he was and rushed to her, checking if she was okay. ''El? You okay?''

For a second, he thought they'd have to tell Joyce to call an ambulance because the brunette girl was not responding. She was silent, her big, brow eyes looking up at the ceiling. Slowly, Eleven sat up under Mike's worried eyes.

''Is she okay?'' Lucas asked, standing behind Mike and Dustin. 

It took a few seconds before Eleven spoke, trying to catch her breath from the fall. She didn't fall from very high but it still managed to knock the air out of her. ''I didn't crack my skull open, guys. I'm fine,'' she reassured the boys.

Lucas and Dustin sighed in relief, glad their friend was okay, before going after each other with the party horns like nothing happened. 

''Do you want ice for your head? Are you sure-''

''Mike. I'm fine,'' she insisted, looking into the boy's worried eyes. 

''Promise?'' Mike asked, not completely convinced. 

''Promise.''

.

''I can hear Jonathan pulling in the driveway. Everyone hide!'' Lucas warned, motioning for everyone to get into their hiding position. Unsure, Joyce went to pull the curtain to check but Lucas scolded her, forcing her to go back to her place and  _hide_. ''You're gonna ruin the surprise if Will sees you in the window. He's gonna know something is going on.'' 

He was a bit bossy and Eleven found it funny how he scolded Joyce. She chuckled, quickly covering her mouth with her hand but, it was too late, Lucas heard her.

''Shh!'' Lucas sighed, discouraged. ''Oh my god, you're all going to ruin the surprise...'' 

Mike and Dustin were hiding on each ends of the couch, Eleven was behind the coffee table and Lucas and Joyce were longing the wall of the hallway who wasn't visible from the door. It was a poor hiding spot but, it's not like there was a ton. Hopper was in his and Joyce's bedroom with the cake, lightning the thirteen candles. Yes, Joyce really put thirteen candles on the cake. Poor Hopper...

The car doors were being closed and footsteps were heard outside. From her spot, Joyce tried to peak to see the doorknob wiggle but, Lucas sent her a warning glare. When the door opened, everyone came out of their hiding spot.

''Surprise!'' 

But, it wasn't Will who walked in. 

''Jonathan?''

Behind the teenager, a shorter boy followed, the latter knitting his eyebrows in confusion when he saw everyone in their living room. He scanned the room and noticed the 'happy birthday' banner on the wall. 

''That's it. Everything's ruined now.  _Everything_!'' Lucas said, throwing his arms in the air.

''Why didn't you let Will come in first? That was the plan,'' Joyce said to her oldest son, annoyed. She spent so much time preparing this birthday surprise and, on the big day, Jonathan had to ruin everything. 

.

**Tuesday, February 14th 1984**

  Chocolates, roses, teddy bears, heart shaped cinnamon candies...ring a bell? 

This year, Hawkins Middle School decided to push things and have the students dress in red or pink for the day. 

''Mom, where's my red sweater,'' Mike yelled from the top of the stairs.

He's been searching for his sweater for ten minutes and he just cannot find it. He pulled all his drawers and searched trough his whole closet, it's not there. It's rare Mike wears it but, of course, the day he wants to wear it, his sweater is missing. 

The stairs creaked as Karen went upstairs to help her son. ''It's in your closet.''

''It's not there.'' 

''Have you checked the laundry basket?'' 

''What am I going to wear?''

Normally, it's Nancy who has clothing crisis, not Mike. Karen sighed, tired of hearing this phrase. ''Wear something else, Mike. You have plenty clothes in your closet.''

''I have to wear red or pink for school. It's my only red sweater. I need to find it.''

''What about your stripped polo? It has red on it.'' 

Mike scrunched his nose. ''No... I wore it yesterday, I can't show up with the same tee shirt. It's gross.''

''Ask Nancy if she has something you can wear.''

This sounded worse than wearing a dirty tee shirt. Who wants to wear their sister's clothes?

''What? Ew, no.''

.

Mike ended up wearing one of Nancy's sweater and Dustin made sure to point it out when he took off his winter jacket.

_Thanks, Dustin..._

''She had it on when she answered the door last week when I came over.''

Lucas and Will were cackling, earning a glare from the raven haired boy. ''Shut up...'' 

.

''I'm proud of you. It was time you made a move, man,'' Lucas said as he and Dustin approached Mike in the courtyard at recess. 

''Yeah, we didn't think you were into that shit. It's cute though. We're happy for you.''

 _What are they talking about?_  Mike was confused. ''Erm, what?''

''Eleven received your card during History class,'' Dustin explained.

Another activity in celebration of Valentine's Day at Hawkins Middle School is the Secret Valentine cards. During the week prior, the students are invited to make cards to send their friends - or crush - cute cards who will be distributed in all the classes at first period on Valentine's Day. Boys don't make a big deal out of these cards but, girls do. Last year, a girl in Mike's class got  _fifteen_  cards. It's insane. 

Mike frowned. ''I didn't send her a card.''

''You don't need to lie to us. We won't tell Will about you and Eleven.''

''I didn't send any cards, you know how I feel about these dumb holidays. If she received one, it wasn't from me.''

Lucas and Dustin shared a look. ''If it wasn't from you...who sent it?'' 

.

It didn't end with the card.

After morning recess, a teddy Bear was sitting on Eleven's desk. It was light brown with red hearts on its paws and a larger one on its stomach. 

''Eleven has a secret admirer,'' cooed Dustin as they sat down to eat their lunch. 

A light blush crept on the brunette's cheeks at the mention of her secret admirer, her eyes casted on her lunch. It's the first time she gets attention from boys, this is new and exciting but, at the same time, it's making her a little nervous. 

''Do you have an idea who it can be?'' Lucas asked.

Her eyes set on Mike for a second before shaking her head. ''No.''

''I bet it's this guy that sits behind you in class. Didn't you say he gave you his pencil the other day?'' 

''Oliver?'' Will filled in.

Dustin nodded, pointing at Will. ''Yeah, him!''

Mike knitted his eyebrows together. Dustin's theory is wrong and doesn't make any sense. ''How does someone giving someone a pencil means they like them? I've given plenty pencils to you and I don't like you.''

Anyone would've been offended but, Dustin knew there was no malice in Mike's joke. 

Everyone started laughing as Dustin flipped Mike off. 

.

Lunch was about to end and Lucas was in the bathroom. He was heading to the urinals when he heard Troy's voice behind him. Not feeling like dealing with Troy today, the boy hid inside a cabin. 

''Does she really think someone likes her? Only an blind idiot would fall for her. She looks like E.T.,'' said Troy, making James laugh. 

''I bet she's a boy. Have you seen her face? And bald head. There's no way that freak's a girl.'' 

_Are they talking about Eleven? They must be. Who else has a buzz cut in this school?_

Troy laughed while peeing. ''I've never seen someone so ugly in my entire life.'' 

''No wonder why she hang out with the freaks, she fits right in!''

''Saw her before lunch, she seem to believe someone really sent her these shit.'' 

''What a loser.'' 

They finished their business and left the bathroom.

Shook, Lucas opened the door. Wow, he can't believe what he just witnessed. Forget peeing, it can wait. Lucas needed to tell the boys about Troy's stupid prank. He isn't very close to the brunette girl but, she doesn't deserve any of this. No one does. It's a very shitty and hurtful prank.

If Eleven gets hurt because of Troy...

Lucas ran trough the school's halls, looking for his friends. 

Will and Eleven weren't in the audio room when Lucas came back to announce the news. Only Mike and Dustin were there. The latter had a spoonful of chocolate pudding in his mouth when Lucas pushed the door open, breathless from all the running.

If Troy thought he could pull a prank on Eleven without consequences, he was wrong. Lucas didn't finish his explanations that Mike was out of the room, searching the school for Troy.

''I'll go look for Eleven,'' suggested Dustin, packing up his stuff. ''Will's gonna go nut when he learn who's behind the prank.''

Although they didn't start on a good foot, Will grew protective of his new sister. He's frail looking and not very tall but, if someone's hurting her in any ways, he won't hesitate to bite back and defend her the best he can. 

Lucas almost joined Dustin in his search party but figured it was best to follow Mike in case things turn bad.

And it did.

''What the fuck is wrong with you?'' 

 _Just in time_ , Lucas thought when he spotted the raven haired boy in the middle of the hallway.

''Did you found yourself a valentine this year, Frog-face?''

Next to him, James snickered.

''I know it was you who sent the card to Eleven.''

He didn't bother denying it and laughed. ''At least, she'll get one in her life. With that face, she's only good for the circus.''

Mike's jaw clenched and fist tightened, his short, bitten nails digging into his palm. ''You think playing with people's feelings is okay?'' 

''Come on, it was a joke. Laugh a little,'' James butted in, amused by the situation. 

Troy turned to head to class with James but, Mike wasn't done yet. Furious, he went after Troy and pushed him. Normally, Mike isn't a violent boy but he'd do anything to protect his friends. Even if it gets him in trouble. Troy landed on the floor with a thud. There was gasps in the hallway from other students who were walking by or simply watching the scene. 

''You're dead, Wheeler.  _Dead_!'' 

.

** Friday, February 17th 1984 **

  Eleven didn't speak to Mike during the two days following the Valentine's day prank. Hopper let her stay home for a few days to let things cool down. Although it was just a silly prank, it did hurt her more than she let on. She really did believe someone liked her enough to send her a Valentine's day card. Alas, it was too good to be true... As for Mike, she didn't know what to say to him. Should she thank him for defending her? Or be mad because he got into a fight? 

On Friday night, she had enough. She missed the raven haired boy. 

'' _Mike? Mike, are you there?_ '' There was a small pause. '' _It's me._ ''

At the sound of Eleven's voice, Mike dropped his comic book and reached fro the radio, knocking over his glass of orange juice.  _Shit_. He better clean that before his mom sees this...

''El? El, you okay? I haven't heard from you in days and you weren't at school, I-'' 

'' _Will told me what happened at school. With Troy_.''

Of course Will told her about the fight... It wasn't really a fight. All he did was push Troy on the ground. No fists were raised.

Mike looked down, sensing in her tone that she wasn't approving his actions.

'' _Thanks for defending me_.'' 

Wait, what? She is thanking him?

''Erm...it's what friends do.''

'' _You didn't have to fight Troy for me_.'' 

''I wasn't going to let him play you like that.''

'' _Violence doesn't solve things, Mike_ ,'' she reminded him.

Mike sighed, chewing down his bottom lip. ''I know...'' 

'' _I don't want you to get hurt because of me._ ''

''Troy didn't do anyhting to me. A teacher stopped him from getting to me.''

Eleven couldn't help but think:  _what if a teacher didn't stop Troy?_ Troy is older and a lot stronger than Mike. He would've got hurt. Last time, he got lucky and only got a scab on his chin. Maybe, this time, Troy wouldn't have stopped after a little push. Maybe-

''El? Are you still there?''

 '' _Yes. I am_.'' 

''Are you okay? Troy is a heartless douche, he shouldn't have done this to you. You don't deserve to be threaten like that, to be played with like a dumb doll. I still can't believe he got away with it. That the principal didn't gave him a detention or something. It's not fair.'' 

She stayed silent for a few minutes but, Mike knew she still had the radio. She probably didn't know what else to say. Eleven's not the greatest with words.

''Next year you'll get a secret valentine. A real one,'' Mike promised her. He knew better than to go around and tell people promises he can't keep but, he felt like Eleven needed to hear this. 

'' _I don't think it's ever gonna happen. Boys prefers to make fun of me_.'' 

''Boys are stupid.''

'' _You're not stupid, Mike_ ,'' she corrected.

''Erm, thanks?'' 

As they spoke on the radio, a series of words kept flashing inside Eleven's head. They were burning on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be said but, a part of her was scared. She's been a laughingstock once, she doesn't need a second take.

 _I wanted you to be my secret valentine_ , she wanted to say but, words remained unsaid. 

.

**Sunday, February 19th 1984**

  The snow was starting to melt in Hawkins. You could even see a few patches of dead, yellow grass on the Wheeler's front lawn. The sun was getting warmer everyday and soon, the kids will get rid of their heavy jackets and boots for sneakers and lighter jackets. 

''Don't go too far, there's still lots of snow up north,'' Karen warned as Mike made his way to the garage to get his bike out. ''I wouldn't want you to get stuck or fall.''

''I won't. We're staying in the neighborhood.''

''We?''

''El and I.''

Karen nodded and went back to playing with her daughter.

When she arrived, Eleven went to greet Mrs Wheeler and Holly who were playing in the snow by the swing set. Holly was making snow castles with old plastic bowls and showing them to the brunette. ''Where is Mike?'' she asked. 

Before Karen could reply, the raven haired boy came out of the garage, rolling his bike next to him. His hat was falling sideways, barely handing on top of his head and his jacket was unzipped. ''Hey, you're here!'' Mike said when he saw her, lips curving into a smile. ''Are you ready?'' Mike asked, tapping the seat of his bike. ''Hop on. It's your turn.'' 

Eleven's eyes widen and her face blanched. ''C-can we do this another day?'' 

Last week, when Mike proposed to teach her how to ride a bike, she sounded very excited. She even asked her dad to get her a bike for her birthday so she could follow the boys without having to ride on the bike of Mike's. Not that the boy minded. He quite liked having her holding onto him whenever he'd pedal faster. 

It only took one look at her face for Mike to figure out why she changed her mind so fast. ''I won't let you fall,'' reassured Mike. ''I was scared too when I switched my tricycle for a real bike. It's okay to be scared but, if you don't try, you'll never be able to ride a bike.''

Eleven looked down and chewed on her lower lip. Mike was right and she knew it but, she wasn't less scared. How can you keep your balance on only two wheels? Mike and the boys does it all the time but, even on the back of Mike's bike, she was scared sometimes. That's why she hold on so tight to him. 

''I'll gonna keep my hands on the bike and hold it so you don't fall. Would that make you feel better?'' 

Hesitantly, she nodded and Mike smiled as he watched her climb on the bike as he held it steady. Slowly, Eleven put her feet on the pedals one by one, her small arms shaking now that her two feet weren't touching the floor. Mike told her to start pedaling and he followed her, holding onto the seat and wheel.

''Don't be so crisped, if you fall, you're gonna hurt yourself a lot more,'' Mike said and she stopped pedaling, almost falling on the side with the bike. Lucky for her, Mike grabbed her arm on time, right before she fell.

_Well done, Mike._

''Mike, you're not helping...'' 

Mike apologized and they tried again and again, until she was able to do a few meters on her own. She couldn't ride long distances yet but, she didn't mind. At least, now she can say she knows how to ride a bike. 

.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> March should be up in the next couple weeks, if I can get more done. Don't forget to leave kudos and comments, xx
> 
> Thoughts on Will's birthday surprise being ruined? Lucas scolding Joyce? Troy pranking Eleven? Mike being worried about her, again? Mike teaching her how to bike?


	5. MARCH 1984 (1/2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words can't express how bad I feel for not updating this story sooner. I had everything written and ready to be posted two weeks ago but the chapter somehow got lost on ao3... They were having problem on the website these past weeks and, lucky me, lost a big chunk of my work. Thank you a LOT ao3 -_-

**Friday, March 2nd 1984**

  All seventh-graders were getting into the bus as Mr. Clarke pulled out his presence sheet, checking everyone's name as they got in, making sure everyone was there before they headed too the Mad Science event a town over. Once again, Mr. Clarke didn't think this trough and some students had to sit three in the same bench. With their jackets, it was a tight fit. 

''Can we switch seats?'' Mike asked, being stuck between Lucas and Dustin. It's not that he doesn't want to sit with his friends but, knowing them, they are bond start dumb arguments. 

On the adjacent seat, Eleven and Will looked at him, a smirk creeping on the latter's face. ''No.''

''Why not? Last time you were in my situation, I switched seats with you,'' Mike reminded him.

''So what?'' 

''You owe me one.'' 

''I do no-''

''I want to see the human body exhibit.''

''This is boring, we should go to the electronic exhibit and check out the Apple Macintosh computer.''

Although seeing the new computer sounded cool, there would be other occasions to see one. The human exhibit on the other hand...  ''I heard there is a real human brain,'' Dustin added, all excited about seeing a real brain. 

''A brain?'' Lucas repeated, unimpressed. 

''Yeah, this thing you are lacking of,'' Dustin explained, a smug look on his face.

Lucas narrowed his eyes at his friend. ''Bite me!''

''I bet it's slimmy and cool.''

''Idiot. Do you really think they are going to let people touch a human brain? Organs are kept in-''

''Save me,'' Mike mouthed to Eleven but, she smiled and shook her head, leaving Mike to his misery.

Half an hour to go...

.

  After going in and out of various exhibits, the reptile cave was definitely Dustin's favorite - the human brain wasn't that interesting in the end. There was snakes, a crocodile, tons of lizards, and even little frogs - they're amphibiens though, not  _reptiles_. It was everything Eleven didn't like. She could look at them without any problems but, touching them was a massive no-no.

''Do you wanna hold it?'' Dustin asked with a grin, passing the slimmy creature to the brunette girl, earning a squeal from her. 

Eleven scrunched her face, feeling the wet and cold skin of the frog. ''Get this out of my hands, ew!'' 

''No, you have to...kiss it,'' Lucas added, earning a glare from Mike. 

''I think I'm gonna throw up before my lips can touch it. Get this out of my hands, Dustin!''

Her agitations earned a few looks from other people around them so before someone alerted Mr. Clarke about Dustin's behavior, the latter took the small creature back from her hands, putting it in its home with a disappointed sigh.

''Ugh, girls,'' Dusting sighed. 

''Girls? Me not kissing the frog has nothing to do with being a girl. Frogs are full of germs and can carry tons of bacteria. This is super unhygienic,'' she defended. 

A proud smile appeared on Mike's lips as he heard Eleven standing up for herself. Mike wanted so badly to say something when Lucas dared her to kiss the frog. What kind of idea was that? Maybe Dustin was right, maybe Lucas do needs a brain. 

''It's not that gross.'' 

''Do it, then,'' Mike dared.

The look on Dustin's face was priceless. Suddenly, kissing a frog didn't sound so funny.

''What? Why?''

''Because it was your idea,'' Eleven added, liking the idea of revenge. 

''Was not! It was Lucas's,'' Dustin defended. 

''You didn't exactly oppose to it.'' Lucas stepped in, now holding the frog in his hands. ''Kiss it, Dustin. Kiss it!'' He held it closer to his face and Dusting gulped, his eyes glued on the frog.

''I can't! Erm, I-I have a...throat infection, see.'' Dustin forced a cough, making Lucas roll his eyes. Did he really think they were going to believe him? ''My cat had the flu and I got it from him.''

The cat. Of course the  _cat_  had the flu... 

Standing by the small lizards's vivarium, Mike and Eleven shared a 'what the hell' look while Lucas raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Dustin. He could've come up with something better - at least something more credible - but nope, he went for the cat bullshit. 

''Kiss it, Dustin. Just imagine its lips are... _Samantha_ 's,'' pressed Lucas, making the group laugh. 

''Kiss me, Dustin. It's me, Samantha'' Mike mocked, making kissy noises.

''Kis-''

''Ugh! Fine, fine,  _fine_.'' stuck his tongue out and... _licked_  the frog. He was supposed to just kiss it but none of them are gonna complain becuase Dustin licking the frog is way more funny. 

''It's not as funny when it backfire, uh Dustin?'' mocked Will, nudging his shoulder.

The boy glared at his friends, wiping his tongue with the back of his hand to get rid of the taste of the frog. ''Ew, now every time I'll se Samantha I'll see that frog!''

Lucas laughed, imagining Samantha with an actual frog face. ''I'll tell you something even funnier. You were supposed to  _kiss_  the frog, not  _lick_  it.'' 

''Why didn't you say something? You're usually the first one to talk about germs and stuff yet, you let me put my tongue on that frog!'' 

 .

**Saturday, March 10th 1984**

It was pouring outside and Mike was running trough the streets of Hawkins, trying to get to his house as fast as possible. 

He and Eleven were at the small park in the neighborhood, playing in the play set when it started raining. At first, the rain wasn't heavy so they stayed at the park and played in the monkey bars but, suddenly, the rain was falling a lot heavier and the bars were getting slippery.

Eleven fell off the bars and hurt her left wrist. 

''Mom? Mom!'' Mike yelled as he opened the front door, not caring whether Holly was sleeping or not.

Karen appeared from the top of the stairs, a basket of clothes in her arms. ''What is it, Mike? Stop yelling like that, I'm not deaf.'' 

''Eleven's hurt, mom. We need to get her to the hospital. Hurry!'' 

In another situation, Mike would've been grounded for talking to his mother like this - and leaving a trail of mud on the carpet - but, he was in mild panic. And his friend was hurt. It doesn't excuse his comportement but, Karen will ignore it for the moment.

The three Wheelers got into the car and drove to the park. Lucky for them Karen knew the way because they could barely see with that rain. The second Karen turned off the car, Mike jumped out and ran up to Eleven. She was sitting on the sand, her wrist clutched to her chest. Her clothes were drenched and Mike couldn't tell if the water on her face were from tears of the rain. 

Karen got to them, Holly still in her car seat inside the car, playing with whatever toys she brought. Mrs. Wheeler didn't want to go trough the hassle of taking her out of her car seat only to get her back in five minutes later. She could handle staying in the car alone for a few minutes. 

Mike helped Eleven stand and guided her to the backseat. She sat beside Mike and the latter did her seat-belt for her, being careful to not touch her wrist. Once everyone was seated and secured, Karen pulled out of the park and sped to the hospital. 

''It hurts, Mike,'' Eleven sniffled.

The boy turned to her, his eyes filled with compassion. ''I know. It's gonna be over soon. The doctors will take care of you.'' 

''I don't like doctors. They hurt people.'' 

''They won't hurt you,'' Mike promised, trying to reassure her.

''Promise?''

''Promise.'' 

.

They got to the ER and Karen, Holly balanced on her arm, went to talk to the receptionist while Mike helped Eleven find a seat in the waiting room. It wasn't too busy in the ER today so the kids didn't have trouble finding seats. 

''I'm gonna go and call your father. Is he working today?'' Karen asked Eleven. 

''He is at the police office,'' she replied. 

Karen nodded. ''Okay. Erm, stay here with Mike, I'll be right back.''

While Karen went to get a hold of Jim Hopper, a nurse called Eleven's name. She looked at Mike, scared but, Mike encouraged her to go. ''Will you be there when I come back?'' she asked. 

Mike nodded without hesitation. 

According to the nurse, Eleven's wrist was nothing to worry about. Just a sprain, she said. But, they still had to do some X-rays, just to be sure.

In the waiting room, Eleven sat next to Mike, a blanket covering her shoulder and back. Karen had to get her a blanket, she was so cold when they got to the hospital. Sitting under the rain was a terrible idea. At first, Mike didn't want to leave her alone in the park. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her while he was gone but, in the end, he left her there because every steps Eleven made her wrist hurt even more.

Ten minutes later, Hopper walked inside the ER and he was not happy. Not only his daughter had her head on a boy's shoulder but, said boy was the one who was responsible of her injury. ''You!'' Jim pointed an accusing finger at Mike. ''Joyce told me you were a good kid. That you were good to her but, now look what state my daughter is! She's hurt because of yo-''

Karen was about to open her mouth to defend her son but, Eleven beat her to it. 

''It's okay, dad. It was  _not_  Mike's fault,'' she explained, standing up and in front of Mike as if to protect him. ''It was me who insisted to stay at the park despite the rain.'' 

Hopped furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Mike over her shoulder and back to his daughter, still not convinced they boy was innocent. ''If it happens again-''

''I-it won't, Chief,'' Mike promised, his voice a little shaky. 

''And you,'' Jim pointed at his daughter. ''Never scare me like that again. Do you know how worried I was when Florence called me to say my daughter was at the ER? I told you to not get yourself in dangerous situations.'' 

''Playing in the park is  _not_  dangerous.''

''Oh yeah? Then why are we here?'' Jim questioned, raising an eyebrow, waiting for Eleven's answer. 

The brunette girl looked down. Hopper had a point.

Before the argument could evolve, Eleven's name was called on the intercome and Jim followed her to the room she was demanded in.

.

**Tuesday, March 13th 1984**

After school, Mike followed Eleven and Will to the Byers's house. They sat at the kitchen table and pulled out their stuff. Will fetched them a few cookies to snack on while Joyce is at work, knowing she wouldn't approve of this choice of snack before dinner. 

''Do you have plans for your birthday?'' Will asked as they worked on their Math worksheet together. 

At the mention of Mike's birthday, Eleven lifted her head, forgetting about her drawing. ''Birthday? When is it?'' she asked, excitedly. 

''This weekend.'' 

Eleven bit down her lip. ''Samantha invited me to her sleepover...'' 

''Oh.'' 

''I can cancel if you-''

Mike shook his head. ''No. Samantha's your friend too. And, you already accepted her invitation.''

''But, it's your birthday. Birthdays are important, Mike. I can go to Samantha's another time, she'll understand.''

A part of Mike wanted to tell her to be loyal and go to Samantha's but, the selfish part of him was content she chose him over her. 

.

** Sunday, March 18th 1984 **

This year, Karen decided to celebrate Mike's birthday at the bowling alley. For one, she wouldn't have to go trough the hassle of cleaning up her whole house after the celebration and second, almost no planning will be required. All she had to do was book a few alleys - and the entertainment room of the bowling alley - and buy a cake.

Mike can write his birthday invitations himself, he's almost  _thirteen_.

The whole family sat in the sat as Ted drove them to the bowling alley. Earlier this morning, Karen and Nancy put up a couple decorations in the bowling alley's entertainment room to make it more festive. Nothing too fancy. Just a couple balloons and a 'happy birthday' banner on the wall. 

Dustin, Will and Eleven were already there when the Wheelers arrived. Leaving his family behind, Mike ran up to them and they all wished him a happy birthday.

''Where's Lucas?''

Will shrugged. ''Don't know. I tried to call him on the radio this morning and he wasn't picking up.'' 

Mike frowned. ''Lucas never turns off his radio...'' 

Mike took off his jacket and, like always, Dustin made a remark about his clothing. Will he  _ever_  leaving him alone?

''Nice shirt,'' Dustin snickered, nudging Mike's shoulder.

For the occasion, Karen forced her son to wear something more formal...and Mike hated it. Button ups are so constricting!

''Shut up, Dustin.'' 

Stepping from her shadow, Eleven voiced her opinion. ''I think it looks nice.'' 

Blush crept on Mike's cheeks. ''Erm, thanks, El.'' 

.

When time came to chose their bowling balls, the kids were fighting over the coolest colors and already making prediction on who will win. Orange balls balanced in their hands, Lucas and Dustin were in the middle of an argument over who was  _the_  king of bowling while Will stayed quiet in his corner, knowing very well that  _he_  was the king of bowling. Before their parent's divorce, Jonathan would take Will bowling every Friday after school to escape from the fights at home. No one can beat him at bowling.

''I've never been bowling.''

Hopper isn't the kind of person who hang out at bowling alleys or go bowling on his free time. He'd rather stay at home and do nothing. 

''Never?''

''Never.''

''I can teach you. It's easy,'' Mike said. ''If Holly can do it, everyone can.'' The boy nodded in direction of his sister who was rolling her pink bowling ball on the shinny floors, not caring that she was interrupting the people who were already playing.

Once Nancy was finished assigning the player numbers to everyone, Mike took Eleven's purple bowling ball and carried it to the alley, Eleven close behind. Mike handed her the ball but stopped, only now realizing something. ''Wait.'' He looked down at Eleven's wrist, still wrapped in its thick bandage. ''What about your wrist?''

''I can play with my right hand.''

Mike nodded and pressed the buttons on the monitor for the free tries to start. He picked up Eleven's purple ball and handed it to her. ''Is this bowling ball too heavy? I can get you a lighter one if you-''

'' _Mike_. It's okay.''

Mike took the ball back and positioned himself in front of the alley. ''Like...this,'' Mike explained, showing her the movement but, not letting go of the bowling ball. ''Try it.''

.

Eleven wasn't the best at bowling but, she wasn't the worst. She didn't make any strikes but, she did knock down a few pins. Mike and Will would high five with her every time she knocked down a pin, making her smile and jump around despite not making a lot of points. Unlike Dustin and Lucas, winning wasn't important to her. The two boys were so preoccupied by winning that they stepped on the other side of the black line a few times - making them loose points - and got stuck in the gutters more times that Mike's little sister. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only posted half of Mike's birthday. The rest of the day will be on the second half of the chapter - I might post April at the same time, I don't know yet. 
> 
> I hope you likes those few days in this universe, xx
> 
> Don't forget to give kudos and leave comments!!


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